Performing an adequate irrigation management for the production of papaya seedlings is essential to obtain plants that express all their genetic potential. For this reason, this work aimed to evaluate the effect of different irrigation depths on the growth and quality of papaya type 'Tainung 01' seedlings. The study took place at the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo, Campus Itapina, located in the in Colatina, in the Northwest region of the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomized with 25 repetitions for each treatment. The treatments consisted on the application of six irrigation depths: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 mm d -1. The seedlings were evaluated at 65 days after planting for the following morphological characteristics: plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, dry mass of the aerial part, dry mass of the root system, total dry mass and Dickson quality index. The irrigation depth of 9.16 mm d -1 had a higher Dickson quality index attesting a higher quality of seedlings, being the most suitable for the production of papaya 'Tainung 01' seedlings.