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Volume 21(3), 130- 136, 2017 JOURNAL of Horticulture, Forestry and Biotechnology www.journal-hfb.usab-tm.ro
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Carica papaya L. cultivated in greenhouse conditions Cotruţ Ramona1*, Butcaru Ana1, Mihai C.2, Stãnicã F.2 1University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Research Centre for the study of
quality food products (Hortinvest); Blvd. Mărăşti59, 011464, Bucureşti, Romania, Phone: +40.21.318.25.64, Fax: + 40.21.318.28.88;
2University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest,
Horticulture Faculty, Blvd Mărăşti 59, 011464, Bucureşti, Romania, Phone: +40.21.318.25.64, Fax: + 40.21.318.28.88 Corresponding author e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Papaya is widely cultivated and consumed, both for its agreeable flavour as well as its many pharmacological properties. Papaya (Carica papaya) is a palm-like, soft-stemmed, evergreen tree, that is native to the tropics of the Americas, but which is now cultivated not only in tropical and warm, semi-tropical zones around the world, but also in protected cultivation. Papaya also is the name for the large, juicy, melon-like, edible fruit of this tree, which has black seeds in the center and typically ranges in colour from orange to a yellow hue. A botanical and pomological description of papaya fruits cultivated in greenhouse conditions are given in this paper.
Key words Carica papaya Linn, Papaya, tropical crop, herb-tree
The papaya plant (Carica papaya L.) belongs to the
Caricaceae family, includes six genera with at least 35
species [9]; [12]; [5]. It is called „pawpaw‟ in Australia
and also known as „mamao‟, „watermelon‟, „lechoza‟,
„tree melon‟ in other countries, but it is very different
from the North American „pawpaw‟ (Asimina triloba
Dunal), which is a member of the family Annonaceae.
Carica papaya it is believed to be native to tropical
America, its region of origin being southern Mexico
and neighbouring Central America [13]. In the
sixteenth century the Spanish explorers took the
papaya plant to the South East Asia and to the
Caribbean. The factors that are thought that have
contributed to the wide geographical contribution of
the fruit are the large number of seeds in the fruit and
their long viability [6].
Carica papaya L. is typical of a tropical and
subtropical regions species which require temperatures
between 21 and 33° C, being intolerant to cold weather
(less than 15 °C) [7]; [10]; [16]; [18]. Prolonged dry
periods reduce crop output [1]. Papaya is grown in
nearly all countries of the tropical Americas (Central
and South America and the state of Hawaii). It is also
cultivated in India, Sri Lanka, various Asian countries,
as well as the Antilles and tropical Africa [6].
This manuscript describes a short botanical and
pomological description of the papaya, Carica papaya
L., growth in the greenhouse; papaya trees were obtain
from seeds which were brought from Australia (from
different area) and grown/bred under greenhouse
conditions at the Hortinvest Greenhouse within
Research Center for the Study of Quality Food
Products from Bucureşti.
Generic and Local Names
The generic name is from the Latin „carica‟, meaning
„edible fig‟, that is because of the similarity of the
leaves with the fig tree (Ficus carica).
Around the world papaya it is called in many diffrent
ways: Arabic (fafay, babaya); Bengali (pappaiya,
papeya); Burmese (thimbaw); Creole (papayer,
papaye); English (bisexual pawpaw, pawpaw tree,
melon tree, papaya); Filipino (papaya, lapaya, kapaya);
French (papailler, papaye, papayer); German (papaya,
melonenbraum); Hindi (papaya, papeeta); Indonesian
(gedang, papaya); Javanese (kates); Khmer (lhong,
doeum lahong); Lao (Sino-Tibetan) (houng); Luganda
(papaali); Malay (papaya, betek, ketalah, kepaya);
Sinhala (pepol); Spanish (figuera del monte, fruta
bomba, papaya, papaita, lechosa); Swahili (mpapai);
Tamil (pappali, pappayi); Thai (ma kuai thet,
malakor,loko); Tigrigna (papayo); Vietnamese (du du)
[15].
Botanic Description
Papaya is an evergreen herb-tree, single-stemmed,
semi-woody with fast growth (1–3 m during the first
year, eventually reaching heights of 6 to 9 m). The
stem it is hollowed, herbaceous erect stem 10-30 cm in
diameter and it is usually unbranched, which
terminates with a cluster of large palmate-lobed leaves
with 25-100 cm long petioles and latex vessels in all
tissues. Has an extensive rooting system.
Vigorous vegetative growth may induce axillary bud
break and branching at the lower portions of the plant,
which rarely exceeds a few centimeters in length.
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Some branching may also occur if apical dominance is
lost due to tip cut/damage in tall plants, releasing the
lower buds from the dominant effect of the apex.
The leaves arranged spirally are glabrous, prominently
veined, palmate borne on long, hollow petioles
emerging from the stem apex, which may be 30 to 105
cm long and 30 to 60 cm wide, are divided into 5 to 9
main segments, which are further lobed; lobes are
deeply and broadly toothed. Both leaves and stems
contain large amounts of white, milky latex. Older
leaves die and fall as the tree grows (Fig. 1).
Figure 1. Papaya trees details: leaf, buds, stem and branches
Plant type
There are three types of plants based on flowers type
and fruits shape: female, male and hermaphrodite.
Female plants always produce female flowers. If no
male or hermaphrodite plants are nearby to provide
pollen, female plants usually fail to set fruit.
Unpollinated female plants occasionally set
parthenocarpic fruits, lacking seeds like for example in
our case, we found in the greenhouse in the V14
genotype (Fig. 2).
Figure 2. Papaya parthenocarpic fruit
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Male plants are distinguished by their long flower
stalks bearing many flowers. Usually they do not
produce fruit, but on rare occasions there is female
expression in the flowers, and they may set fruits.
Hermaphrodite plants have male flowers,
hermaphrodite flowers, or both, depending on
environmental conditions and the time of year. Hot, dry
weather may cause suppression of the ovary and the
production of female-sterile (male) flowers. This
accounts for occasional seasonal failure of
hermaphrodite plants to set fruit. Hermaphrodite plants
tend to produce self-pollinated seeds, which result in
relatively uniform progenies.
Flower type Papaya flowers are small, cream white coloured,
funnel-shaped, solitary or clustered are formed in the
leaf axil. Flowers can reach 2.5 to 3.6 cm long and they
are slightly fragrant (Fig.3). The type of inflorescence
depends upon sex of the tree and the type of the flower
present, which are primarily of three types: staminate
(male), pistillate (female) and hermaphrodite (both
female and male organs). The stigmatic surfaces are
pale green and the stamens are bright yellow.
Figure 3. Papaya flower
Flower type is determined by the presence or absence
of functional stamens (male parts) and stigma and
ovary (female parts). Female flowers are relatively
large and rounded at the base. They have large
functional pistil, ovoid-shaped ovary but lack stamens
(Fig. 4).
Figure 4. Papaya female flowers
Male flowers are thin and tubular. They have perfect
structure (they contain both male and female organs),
but the small, vestigial ovary is non-functional. Male
flowers on hermaphrodite plants are borne on short
peduncles (Fig. 5).
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Figure 5. Papaya male flowers
Hermaphrodite flowers are intermediate between
female and male flowers in size and shape. They are
less bulbous than female flowers, but not as thin as
male flowers. They have perfect structure with
functional stigma and stamens and usually are self-
pollinating (Fig.6).
Figure 6. Papaya hermaphrodite flower
Fruits
Papaya fruits are berries that show high diversity in
size and shape. The fruits are large with fleshy orange
pulp and thin yellowish-orange skin when ripe. Fruits
from hermaphroditic plants tend to be elongated and
vary from cylindrical to pear shaped, while fruits of
female plants tend to be round (Fig. 7).
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Figure 7. Papaya fruits
Seeds
Well-pollinated papaya fruits have numerous small
seeds, black coloured, round shape (Fig. 8). The seeds
are coated by a mucilaginous mass derived from the
pluri stratified epidermis of the external integument.
The embryo at physiological maturity is enclosed in a
gelatinous, fleshy sarcotesta.
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Figure 8. Papaya seeds
Importance
Papaya is cultivated for its edible fruits as a fresh fruit
and for use of drinks, jams, candies and dried fruit.
Ripe fruits are usually eaten fresh and green fruits are
also used as a cooked vegetable. Papaya also has
several industrial uses. Biochemically, its leaves and
fruits produce several proteins and alkaloids with
important medical and industrial application. The latex
of green fruits contain a proteolytic enzyme, papain.
Papain belongs to the papain superfamily and is of
critical importance in many vital biological processes
in all living organisms [11]. The digestive enzyme
papain, isolated from papaya, is used as an ingredient
in brewing, meat tenderizing, pharmaceuticals and
cosmetic industries [8]. Evolutionary, papain may be
associated with protection from frugivorous predators
and herbivores [3].
Nutrition
The edible portion of the ripe pawpaw fruit contains
both macro and micro minerals and these Na, K Ca,
Mg, P, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn [14]. Carica papaya is a
source of carotenoids, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin,
niacin, vitamin B-6 and vitamin K [4]; [2]; [17].
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