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Essay on Papaya
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Origin and History of Papaya
- Essay on the Area and Production of Papaya
- Essay on the Importance and Uses of Papaya
- Essay on the Choice of Varieties of Papaya
- Essay on the Insect-Pests of Papaya
- Essay on the Diseases of Papaya
Essay # 1. Origin and History of Papaya:
The papaya is an important fruit of tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is a native of tropical America (Mexico). The cultivated papaya originated as a cross between two species of genus Carica native to Mexico. Dutch traveller Linschoten made first record of papaya is 1576 and observed that plant had been taken from West Indies to Malacca. In India, papaya was introduced by the Portuguese during 1611. It was taken by Spanish to Manila in the mid-16th century. Papaya spread widely in the Pacific Islands by 1800.
It was introduced in Hawaiian Islands between 1800 and 1823 by Don Moris-a spanish Horticulturist. Today distribution of papaya is extended within 32°N and S latitudes of the equator on the globe. Later on it was brought to India. Presently, papaya is grown extensively in India, Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, Mexico, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand and Guatemala.
Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is an ideal fruit for growing in kitchen gardens, backyards of homes as well as in orchards, especially those near the cities or big towns. It is also grown extensively as a filler plant in the orchards. Papaya is quick- growing and starts bearing within 8-10 months of transplanting. Papaya cultivation is, indeed, very remunerative, if done on modern lines.
Essay # 2. Area and Production of Papaya:
India is the leading producer of papaya fruit and has 36.8 per cent share in world production. The area under papaya in world is 4.35 lakh hectares yielding annual production of 12.1 million mt.
Presently in India, papaya is grown in 1.17 lakh hectares with annual production of 44.57 lakh metre tonnes accounting for 1.8 and 5.8 per cent of area and production. Productivity of papaya is the highest (38.1 mt/ha) among the fruit crops, which has attracted the growers for its commercial increase in area and production in last few decades.
Papaya is grown commercially in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Andhra Pradesh is producing 26.7 per cent of the total production in the country. It is followed by 23.8 per cent in Gujarat.
Export Potential:
The Papaya fruits use mainly exported to United, Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Kuwait, Germany, Bahrain, Qatar, Nepal, USA and Ireland. The export value of papaya from India to various countries is Rs. 24.75 crores. UAE is the major country where 37.5 per cent papaya fruits are exported from India.
Essay # 3. Importance and Uses of Papaya:
Papaya is a very wholesome, refreshing and delicious fruit. It is a rich source of vitamins. Papaya contains about 2500 i.u. of vitamin A and 85 mg of vitamin C per 100 g pulp. It is also fairly rich in calcium and other minerals. The yellow pigment in papaya is due to caricaxanthin. Papaya contains moisture 90.8%, protein 0.6%, and carbohydrates 7.2%. Fruits contain a valuable proteolytic enzyme papain, which helps in the digestion of protein rich foods.
Papain is manufactured from the white latex of unripe papayas. Similar to the animal enzyme pepsin, papain is reputed for its medicinal and industrial uses. It is used for the treatment of ulcers and other ailments. Skin blemishes are said to vanish when treated with papain.
Papaya can be eaten as such as a dessert fruit, when fully ripe or with salt, pepper, sugar or lime juice. Its seeds are also eaten by some people for their slightly flavour and reputed medicinal value. The unripe fruit can be used as vegetable. Papaya fruits can also be made into pickles and preserves of various kinds.
The fruits are beneficial in piles, dyspepsia of liver, spleen and digestive disorders. Ripe fruits are used in preparation of jam, jelly, fruity, nectar, soft drinks, ice cream, flavouring crystallized fruits and are canned as syrup. Young leaves are also used as vegetable in Java. Carpaine obtained from papaya is utilized as a diuretic and a heat stimulant.
Essay # 4. Choice of Varieties of Papaya:
A large number of papaya cultivars is found in cultivation. None of these is a true cultivar since it cannot be relied upon to reproduce the parental characters in all the progenies.
The following are a few important papaya varieties:
1. Pusa Delicious:
The plants are strong and stout and usually start fruiting at a height of 160 cm or so from ground level. The sex ratio in terms of female and hermaphrodite is 50: 50. The fruit size is large. The taste of pulp is very sweet. Fruits per plant range 30 to 40. The average weight of each fruit is 1-1.2 kg. TSS is 10.0 per cent. It yields 46 kg fruit per plant.
2. Pusa Dwarf:
This is dioecious variety. The plants are dwarf and precocious in bearing. The plants start bearing at 40 cm above ground level within 235 days after planting. The fruits are medium in size weighing 1 to 2 kg. The shape of fruit is oval. The flesh is melting, sweet and red orange in colour having TSS of 8.9 per cent. The variety is suitable for high density planting. Its average yield is 35 kg per plant.
3. Washington:
The plant is fairly dwarf and bears heavily high on the trunk. The proportion of male plant is low, when raised form the seed obtained under controlled self-pollination. The fruit is large, roundish and contains a few seeds. The flesh is yellow, sweet and good flavoured.
4. Honey Dew:
The plant is of medium height and bears fruit quite heavily on the trunk. The proportion of the male plant is low. The fruit is large, elongated and contains a few seeds. The flesh is extra fine and sweet with pleasant flavour. This variety is also known as Madhu Bindu. The keeping quality of fruit is medium. Fruit bears less number of seeds.
5. Coorg Honey:
This is a selection from Honey Dew. The plant is tall and bears fruits quite heavily, low on the trunk. Most of the plants are hermaphrodite, but a few occasionally produce only pistillate flowers. The fruit is large, of variable shape and contains very few seeds. Its flesh is appreciably thicker, but slightly less sweet than that of Honey Dew. TSS is about 6.0 per cent.
6. Co-1:
The selection of this variety was made from a variety Ranchi from Bihar. The variety is ideal for table purpose. The plant is of medium height and commences bearing low on the stem. The fruit is roundish and uniform in shape, size and quality. The variety is unisexual with male and female plants occurring separately. TSS is about 7.0 per cent. The keeping quality of fruits is good. It bears 25 to 35 fruits per plant and average yield is 40 kg per plant.
7. Pusa Nanha:
It is a dioecious dwarf mutant variety developed at IARI, Regional Station, Pusa (Bihar). The average plant height and leaf length are 106 cm and 86 cm, respectively. That’s why, more plants can be planted per hectare by adopting distance of 1.25 x 1.25 m. Owing to dwarfness, and it can escape from strong winds. The variety is precocious in bearing. It is suitable for kitchen gardening. The average yield per hectare is about 60 to 65 tonnes.
8. Pusa Majesty:
It is a gynodioecious variety, tolerant to viral diseases and root knot nematodes. The fruits are medium in size with round shape. Flesh is yellowish in colour and solid in texture. It has good keeping quality. The variety is suitable for papain production.
9. Punjab Sweet:
It is dioecious variety having plant height of 195 cm. Fruit bearing starts from a height of 103 cm from the ground level. Fruits are large, oblong in shape with pointed tip. Flesh colour is deep yellow. TSS ranges from 9.0 to 10.5 per cent. The average yield is 50 kg per plant. It is least susceptible to citrus mite (Eutetranychus orientalis).
10. Pusa Giant:
This is a dioecious variety. Plant starts bearing at one meter height within 260 days after transplanting. The plant can withstand strong winds and storms. The fruit size is 2.5 to 3.5 kg per plant. The fruits are suitable for vegetable making and canning industry.
11. Surya:
Developed at IIHR from the cross between Sunrise Solo and Pink Flesh Sweet. It is a gynodioecious hybrid. Fruits are medium in size with average weight of 600-800 g. The pulp is red, sweet with a TSS of 13.5-15.0 per cent.
12. Solo:
The fruits are small in size with deep pink pulp. Taste is sweet. It is excellent kitchen gardening variety. It is a tuble purpose variety.
CO-2, CO-5, CO-6, Red Lady 786, Pant Papaya-1, Pant Papaya-2 and Pant Papaya-3 are other promising varieties.
CO-3, CO-4, CO-7 and CP-81 are the important hybrids of papaya.
Essay # 5. Insect-Pests of Papaya:
1. Red Spider Mite (Tetranychus Urticae):
They suck sap from ventral surface of leaves under silken webs. The yellowish spots appear on the dorsal side of the infested leaves which fall finally when get dried.
Remove the infested leaves and burn them. Spray the plant with 0.06 per cent dimethoate. If needed, repeat the spray once after 15 days.
2. White Fly (Bemisia Tabaci):
Tiny, white scale like objects may be seen clustering between the veins on the ventral surface of leaves and sucking cell sap. The leaves become yellowish, wrinkle and curl downwards. The pest is active during dry season. The curling is due to virus transmitted by white flies.
Spray 0.03% demethoate or 0.04% monocrotophos or 250 ml malathion 50 EC in 250 litres of water.
3. Aphids (Aphis Gossypii and Myzus Persicae):
Nymphs and adults inject their saliva and suck the plant sap. They are known to transmit mosaic virus. The early symptoms of the disease are presence of necrotic spots on the leaves which turn later on to blistered patches of green tissues.
Destroy weeds which are additional hosts. Cut and destroy the virus affected plant immediately. For the control of aphids spray 250 ml Malathion 50 EC in 250 litres of water before virus attack begins.
Essay # 6. Diseases of Papaya:
1. Anthracnose:
The disease is caused with fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. Fruits are severely affected at all stages of growth. The affected spot on the fruit become depressed and bear pinkish masses of spores of the fungus. The infected leaves bearing spots show shredded margins.
Destroy the infected fruits. Spray 0.2% Ziram or Captan or Indofil M 45 (200 g in 100 litres of water) at fortnightly intervals.
2. Collar Rot and Stem Rot:
The disease is caused by a soil-dwelling fungus Pythium aphanidermatum or by Phytophythora palmivora. Roots and the trunk of the plant rot. The fungus advances up into the collar and the trunk regions causing the yellowish of the foliage, stunting of the growth and poor fruit development leading to the death of the plant.
For its control improve drainage. Uproot and destroy the affected plants immediately. Spraying of one per cent Bordeaux mixture or Copper oxychloride @ 2 g per litre of water will check further spread of this disease.
3. Damping Off:
It is caused due to Pythium sp., Phytophthora sp. or Rhizoctonia solani. The disease is common in nursery beds and cause morality of seedlings. The disease is more serious in rainy season.
This could be prevented by sterilizing the soil of the seed bed with 2.5 per cent formaldehyde solution prior to sowing of seeds. Treating of seeds with seed dressing chemical (Ceresan, Agrosan or Thiram) also provides good check.
4. Papaya Mosaic:
It is caused due to papaya mosaic virus. Leaves become small, curled and wrinkled. The diseased leaves show blister like patches of green tissue of yellow background. The disease is transmitted through sap, graft and several species of aphids.
Spray 250 ml of Malathion 50 EC in 250 litres of water against aphids and white flies before the virus attack begins. Uproot and destroy the affected plants immediately.
5. Papaya Leaf Curl:
It is caused due to Tobacco leaf curl virus. Young leaves at the top the affected plant become curl, twisted and deformed and deep green. Such plants become stunted and bear no fruit. The vector of this disease is white fly. It is graft transmissible but not by sap.
Uproot and destroy the leaf curl affected plants immediately. Control the vector with Rogor 0.03 per cent or monocrotophos 0.04 per cent or 250 ml malathion in 250 litres of water.