How To Grow Papaya From Seed Course

Papaya is an ideal fruit for growing in kitchen gardens and backyards of houses. It is also grown extensively as a filler plant in the orchards, as well as a main crop under protected conditions. Papaya is quick-growing and starts bearing within 8-10 months of transplanting. It is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Papaya contains about 2500 IU of vitamin A and 85 mg of vitamin C per 100 g pulp. Fruit contains a valuable enzyme, papain, which helps in the digestion of protein-rich foods.

Climate and Soil :

Papaya is a tropical fruit plant. It requires a warm and humid climate and can be cultivated up to a height of 1000 metres above sea level. It can be grown successfully in Punjab and the plains of north India. Papaya is very sensitive to frost and wet soil conditions. It should, therefore, be planted in frost-free areas on well-drained soils. Young plants must be well protected against frost. They should be covered with transparent plastic envelopes, sarkanda, straw thatches, or any other covering material from November to February against frost damage.

Recommended Cultivars

Red Lady 786 (2013) :

Plants are self-fertile and vigorous having height of 238 cm. Fruit bearing starts at 86 cm height from the ground level. Fruits are medium, oblong to oval, flesh reddish orange with excellent taste and flavour. It matures after ten months of planting. Average yield is 50kg per plant. The plants are free from disease and pest incidence under protected conditions.

• Papaya is a rich source of vitamins A and C, enzymes, papain, and minerals.

• It is ideal for growing in kitchen gardens.

Punjab Sweet (1993) :

It is a dioecious variety with having plant height of 190 cm. Fruit bearing starts at 100 cm height from the ground level. Fruits are large, oblong in shape, with a pointed tip. Flesh colour is deep yellow. TSS ranges from 9.0 to 10.5 percent. Average yield is 50 kg/ plant. It is least susceptible to citrus mite, Eutetranychus orientalis.

• Plant Red lady 786 in protected conditions at 1.8 m × 1.8 m spacing. All plants bear fruit.

•Uproot immediately the collar rot/stem rot and virus-infected plants.

How To Grow A Papaya Tree From Seeds | Gardening

Pusa Delicious (1992):

A hermaphrodite variety of medium vigour, having a plant height of 210 cm; fruiting starts at 110 cm height from ground level; fruit is medium to large; fruit shape is oblong to oval, flesh deep orange with excellent taste and flavour; TSS range, from 8-10 per cent. Average yield is 46 kg per plant.

Pusa Dwarf (1992) :

It is a dioecious and dwarf variety having a plant height of 165 cm. It starts bearing fruit at 100 cm height from the ground level. Fruits are medium in size, oval in shape, with orange coloured flesh having TSS of 8-9 per cent. This variety is resistant to lodging and can withstand cold better than other varieties. Its average yield is 35 kg per plant. It is also very suitable for a kitchen garden.

Honey Dew (1975) :

The plant is of medium height and bears fruit quite heavily on the trunk. The proportion of the male plants is low. The fruit is large, elongated, and contains few seeds. The flesh is extra-fine and sweet with a pleasant flavour. This variety is also known as Madhu Bindu.

Propagation

Nursery Raising :

Papaya seedlings are raised in polythene bags of 25×10cm having about 8 to 10 holes of 1.0 mm diameter on the lower part for drainage. Fill the bags with a mixture of farmyard manure, soil, and sand in equal proportions. Seeds are sown in the second week of July to the third week of September in polythene. When the seedlings have emerged, drench them in poly bags with 0.2% Captan to prevent from damping off disease. The nursery will be ready for transplanting in September-October.

Planting

Dig pits of 50 cm × 50 cm × 50 cm in size at a spacing of 1.5 × 1.5 meters. Fill the pits with a mixture of equal quantities of soil and the well-rotted farmyard manure. Give a light irrigation to make the soil settle in the pit. In the first week of September to 15th October, transplant the seedlings and give a light irrigation. Under protected structures, papaya cv. Red Lady-786 can be planted at 1.8×1.8 m spacing.

Pollination

When the plants have started flowering, thin them out to one plant per pit, taking care that the final population of plants has only about 10 per cent males that are well scattered throughout the field for adequate pollination.

Manures and Fertilizers

The plants should be manured at the rate of 1.25 kg of fertilizer mixture, i.e., urea, superphosphate and muriate of potash in the ratio of (1:2:1/3) twice a year (February and August) along with 20 kg of well-rotten farmyard manure.

Ripening of Fruits

Physiologically mature fruits of papaya cv. Red Lady 786 harvested at colour break stage during winter and wrapped in paper can be ripened at 25 °C in 72-96 hrs.

Most Successful Way Of Germination Papaya Seeds

Plant Protection Measures

A. Insect Pests

Pests and symptoms of attack

1. Aphid (Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae):

Nymphs and adults suck the cell sap. These aphids act as a vector of papaya mosaic virus.

2. Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci):

Both nymphs and adults damage the papaya trees. Tiny, white scale-like objects cluster in-between the veins on the ventral surface of the leaf. The pest is active during the dry season. With the sucking of cell sap from the leaves, the affected leaves become yellowish, curl downwards, wrinkle, and there is early shedding. It also transmits a virus causing leaf curl disease.

B. Diseases

Disease and symptoms

1. Anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Gloeosporium sp):

Fruits are severely affected as all the spots on the fruit become depressed and bear pinkish masses of spores of the fungus. Necrotic spots are produced on the leaves. Profuse fungal growth appears in concentric rings on the lesions.

Control

(i) Improve the drainage in the field.

(ii) Destroy the infected fruits.

(iii) Avoid bruising of the fruits.

2. Collar rot and Stem rot (Pythium aphanidermatum and Phytophthora parasitica):

Roots and trunk of the plant rot, producing a wet texture. The fungus causes the yellowing of the foliage, stunting of the growth, and poor fruit development, leading to the death of the plant.

Control

(i) Improve drainage.

(ii) Irrigation water should not come in contact with main stem & affected plants.

3. Papaya mosaic (Virus) :

Leaves become small, curled and wrinkled.

The diseased leaves show blister-like patches of green tissue on a yellow background.

Control

Uproot and destroy affected plants immediately.