Papaya: The Versatile Tropical Fruit

Abstract

Papaya (Carica papaya L) is a versatile tropical fruit with its usage ranging from consumption, cosmetics, to pharmaceuticals. In 2020, it was the third most-produced tropical fruit crop in the world. Papaya is a trioecious herbaceous plant with distinct flower and fruit morphological appearances. The fruits from hermaphrodite papaya are favorable for both consumption and processing due to their superior quality. Papaya has a genome size of 372 Mb and chromosome of 2n =18. The male and hermaphrodite papaya have XY and XYh sex chromosomes, respectively, while the female has XX. Using omics and bioinformatics approaches, papaya cultivars with desired fruit quality can be selected and identified from germplasm for incorporation in breeding programs. Papaya production can be done either in open fields or under protected cultivation. Open field cultivation provides for large-scale production, but with the disadvantages of variability in fruit yield, quality, and limitations on growing and harvesting seasons. Under protected cultivation, papaya can be cultivated in all seasons, whilst delivering higher yields. Conversely, multidisciplinary approaches with selected papaya cultivars, good farm management, and suitable conditions provide high yields of quality fruit for both consumption and processing, whilst minimizing the adverse effects related to environmental conditions.

Sex determination of papaya var. ‘Maradol’ reveals hermaphrodite-to-male sex reversal under greenhouse conditions

“…Some authors reported good efficiency in a similar male-specific marker (PMSM1) in male-to-hermaphrodite sex reversal events (Liao et al 2017, Pirovani et al 2018, confirming their male specificity. Moreover, this marker serves dioecious varieties of papaya, leaving aside that papaya fruit production is mainly based on gynodioecious cultivars (Burns et al 2022).…”

“…Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is one of the most produced fruits worldwide. Although native to America, it is cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas of several countries such as India, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia (Jiménez et al 2014, Burns et al 2022. Its nutritional composition is an added value for consumption due to providing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (Mehdipour et al 2006, Santana et al 2019).…”

Characterization of gynodioecious Pune selection lines of papaya

“…Major papaya producing countries are India, Brazil, Nigeria, Indonesia and Mexico. Average global papaya yield was 29 tonnes/hectare while average yield of top four papaya producing countries was double of the global average [1,2]. Narrow gene pool of C. papaya (one species only) makes it vulnerable to many diseases [3][4][5][6][7].…”

Wound Bed Preparation using Nonsurgical Methods: A Prospective Comparative Study of Honey versus Unripe Papaya (Carica papaya)

“…Nigeria is the largest producer of papaya in Africa and one of the top five producers of this fruit in the world. [ 8 , 9 ] The papaya is considered a food rather than a source of medicaments in Nigeria.…”