Papaya: Classification, Distribution, Botanical Description, and Uses

The fruit of the papaya plant, Carica papaya, popularly known as papaw or pawpaw, is the sole member of the plant family Caricaceae with chromosome number 18. (Martelleto et al 2008). The red- and pink-fleshed varieties of the Carica papaya are referred to as papaya in Australia, whereas the yellow-fleshed varieties are called pawpaw. The plant is known as papaya in India (Dhillon 2013). It is indigenous to America’s tropics. One of the most significant economic crops in the tropics and subtropics is papaya (Reddy and Gowda 2014). Despite being a tropical fruit, it may also be cultivated in sub-tropical environments (Allan 2002, Galan and Rodriguez 2007). A fruit crop with a brief lifespan that can reach a height of 30 feet is the papaya. The stem is hollow and typically unbranched with softwood. Long stalked, palm-like leaves are present. Fruit from a pistillate flower has an ovoid-oblong form. The fruit is a berry with flesh. Smooth and green when unripe, papaya skin turns yellowish or orange when fully ripe. Orange or reddish-orange, the centre cavity is five-angled. The seeds are round, wrinkled, and black or greyish. The gelatinous sarcotesta is made of the exterior integument (Kumar et al 2013). Although papayas are hermaphrodite, they can also be dioecious. It is a well-liked crop among farmers, and there is a steady market demand for the fruits. It is a highly lucrative crop that has a favourable cost-benefit ratio (Sharma and Zote 2010). Papaya growth stops in subtropical climates at temperatures below 11 °C (Allan et al 2002). Therefore, papaya growing under protection in a subtropical area might offer the best conditions for the fruit’s development and productivity. With the important additional benefit of the Ring spot virus being excluded, growth and blooming benefits from the environment within the enclosed chambers result in improved yields, both in fruit quality and quantity (Galan and Rodriguez 2007). Determining papaya productivity and quality characteristics under protected agriculture is therefore crucial.

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