‘Dawn Delight’ is a unique female line of papaya with parthenocarpic fruit-setting capability independent of pollination, generally giving seedless fruits, thus saving on the male plant population needed as pollinizers. Propagated exclusively
Abstract
Scions from ‘Solo’ papaya trees of normal size grafted on dwarf ‘Solo’ stocks resulted in trees with less vigor. Flowering and fruit production occured lower on the stem. The total quantity of fruit was smaller than on normal ‘Solo’ trees.
Dwarf ‘Solo’ scions grafted on normal ‘Solo’ stocks resulted in vigorous trees flowering and producing fruit higher on the stem; there was also more fruit, with less crowding, than on dwarf ‘Solo’.
The effect of naturally occurring volatile compounds on decay and antioxidant activities in fresh-cut papayas (Carica papaya L.) was studied. Exposure to methyl jasmonate (MJ), methyl salicylate (MS) or allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) substantially delayed the onset and reduced the severity of decay during and after storage at 5 °C. Treatment with tea tree oil (TTO) or ethanol (ETOH) was also effective in retarding decay, but to a lesser extent. No beneficial effect was obtained with the use of vinegar vapor. MJ and MS increased oxygen radical absorbance capacity and elevated the activities of several antioxidant enzymes, including glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, ascorbate peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase, dehydroascorbate reductase, and superoxide dismutase. The nonenzyme components in the ascorbate-glutathione cycle were also increased by MJ and MS treatments, including ascorbate and glutathione. It is possible that MJ and MS treatments enhanced the antioxidant system and increased the resistance of tissue to decay. However, while AITC also suppressed the development of decay in papaya slices, it had little effect on antioxidant levels and antioxidant enzyme activities. Apparently, AITC exerted its effect through different mechanisms. Studies are in progress to determine if AITC inhibits decay directly via its antimicrobial properties.
A multiplication technique based on subculture of nodal sections from apically dominant shoots is described for papaya (Carica papaya L.). Best multiplication rates were obtained when single-node papaya sections were cultured on a modified De Fossard medium containing 0.5 μm of both BAP and NAA. Shoots that developed from axillary buds were dissected and cultured for 3 days on rooting medium containing 10 μm IBA and subsequently transferred to hormone-free Drew-Smith (DS) medium. Explant growth rate was significantly reduced by substitution of 1% fructose for 2% sucrose in the medium. However, after 12 months of incubation at 25C without subculture, 100% of shoots on medium containing fructose were recovered when nodal sections were subcultured and grown using the above techniques. Consequent advantages are proposed for germplasm storage in lieu of low-temperature incubation. These techniques may have application to other species. Chemical names used: N6-benzyl-aminopurine (BAP), I H -naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 1 H -indole-3-butyric acid (IBA).
Abstract
Fruiting papaya trees (Carica papaya L. cv. Solo), grown on “aa” lava soil at Puna, Hawaii, were supplied K fertilizer at rates of 0, .208, and .519 lb. K/tree/6 weeks. Leaves at 2 stages of maturity were sampled for K analysis. The method of curvilinear regression was used to relate leaf K to yield of papaya.
The multiple correlation coefficients obtained from the curvilinear regressions of yield on K were high with all tissues. Because the recently matured petiole had been selected previously as the N and P index tissue, and because good relationship was obtained in the present study, this tissue was also selected as the K index tissue. The critical concentration in this tissue was 3.61% K on the dry weight basis. At the adequate level of K. fruit weight and fruit soluble solids content were greater than at the deficiency level. At the excess level, fruit weight was unchanged while the soluble solids content increased compared with fruit at the adequate level.
Field-grown `Red Lady' papaya (Carica papaya L.) plants were used to measure foliar gas-exchange responses to rapid changes in irradiance levels to determine if papaya stomata are able to track simulated sun-to-cloud cover transitions. Natural sunlight and neutral shade cloth placed over the leaf were used to provide high photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) of about 2000 μmol·m-2·s-1 until leaves reached steady state within the cuvette, followed by three minutes with low PPF of about 325 μmol·m-2·s-1, and a return to PPF of about 2000 μmol·m-2·s-1. Net CO2 assimilation (A) declined from an initial 20 μmol·m-2·s-1 to about 9 μmol·m-2·s-1 within 20 seconds of initiating low PPF, and remained fairly stable for the duration of the three minutes of low PPF. Stomatal conductance (gs) declined within 60 seconds of initiating low PPF, from 385 to about 340 μmol·m-2·s-1 during the three minutes duration of low PPF. Following the return to high PPF, A rapidly increased to about 18 μmol·m-2·s-1, then gradually increased to the original value. After a lag of about 1 minute following the return to high PPF, gs began to increase and returned to the original value after three minutes. Container-grown `Tainung #1' papaya plants were used in a second study to determine the influence of mild drought stress on gas-exchange responses to rapid irradiance transitions. For drought-stressed plants, gs declined to a greater magnitude following the high-to-low PPF transition, and gs and A recovered more slowly following the transition from low-to-high PPF than for well-watered plants. Water use efficiency declined to a minimum immediately following the high-to-low PPF transition for both sets of plants, but recovered more rapidly for drought-stressed plants. These results indicate that papaya stomata are able to track rapid changes in irradiance, and mild drought stress enhances the tracking response.
Two studies were conducted with `Known You 1' and `Sunrise' papaya seedlings to determine the combined influence of wind and drought stress on growth. For each study, 4-week-old nursery plants were transplanted into 2.6-L containers and placed in a protected site with rain exclusion provided by polypropylene cover. Industrial fans were used to provide unidirectional wind of ≈2 m/s for 12 hours per day to half of the plants; the remaining half of the plants received no wind. One half of the plants for each cultivar and wind combination were designated as well-watered and received daily irrigation. The remaining half of the plants were designated as drought-stressed and received 25% to 50% of the water applied to the well-watered plants. Plants were grown for 3 weeks under these experimental conditions. There were no interactions between the drought and wind main effects. The reduction in height, trunk cross-sectional area, total plant dry weight, and relative growth rate below that for control plants was similar for drought stress or wind stress. Wind stress reduced growth of `Sunrise' plants more than `Known You 1' plants in both studies. Although the main effects did not interact, the combination of drought and wind stress reduced growth of papaya seedlings more than did either main effect alone. The greatest wind load from trade winds occurs on Guam during the annual dry season. These data indicate that chronic wind stress during the dry season may be more detrimental to growth of papaya seedlings than during the rainy season or under sufficient irrigation practices.
The influence of drought stress on leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics of field-grown papaya (Carica papaya L.) plants was determined under a range of incident light fluxes and times of day. These data may aid in improving management systems for papaya production which minimize detrimental effects from suboptimal environmental conditions. Water was withheld from field-grown `Red Lady' plants in one study and `Tainung #2', `Red Lady', and `Sunrise' plants in a second study until soil matric potential was -60 to -70 kPa. Drought-stressed plants exhibited reduced net CO2 assimilation (ACO2 ) above light saturation, photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) at which light saturation for ACO2 occurred, and apparent quantum yield compared to well-watered plants. The light compensation point of drought-stressed plants was greater than that of well-watered plants. Leaf chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics were not influenced by drought stress. The daily pattern of leaf gas exchange was dependent on climatic conditions. For sunny days, ACO2 , stomatal conductance of water (gs), and water use efficiency of well-watered plants were maximal at mid-morning, declined during midday, and then partially recovered during late afternoon. In drought-stressed plants, leaf gas exchange was relatively constant after a brief early morning maximum. On overcast days, the responses of gas exchange variables in relation to time of day followed smooth bell-shaped patterns regardless of the level of drought stress. Combined with previously published data, these results indicate that the influence of drought stress on gas exchange is highly dependent on time of day, ambient sky conditions, plant size, and speed with which drought stress occurs.
Papaya (Carica papaya L.) source size and sink strength were modified by a single defoliation or continual defoliation and fruit thinning. Fruit set, development, weight, total sugar (sum of sucrose, fructose, and glucose), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), sucrose synthase (SS), and acid invertase (AI) enzyme activities in response to defoliation and fruit thinning were determined. The effects of defoliation and fruit thinning varied with weather conditions, plant growth conditions, and cultivar. Removal of 75% of the leaves significantly reduced new flower production and fruit set, and decreased ripe fruit total soluble solids (TSS), while 50% defoliation did not reduce new fruit set or ripe fruit TSS. When every third leaf from the oldest leaf was not removed, the number of new flowers was reduced by 47% more than when the same number of leaves was removed from the oldest to younger leaves. Continual removal of old leaves reduced new fruit set, fruit weight, and TSS in the 168 day experimental period. Fruit thinning increased new fruit set and ripe fruit TSS. Larger fruit size, faster fruit development, lower respiration rate, and higher sugar contents and AI activity were observed in immature (young) fruit when old fruit were removed. AI activity was reduced during early fruit development and increased again in mature fruit in plants subjected to defoliation, and suggested a role for AI in mature fruit sugar accumulation, while SS activity declined significantly in fruit 154 and 175 days after anthesis and in mature fruit when plants were subjected to continual defoliation. SPS activity was not affected significantly by defoliation or fruit thinning. Source-sink balance was critical for papaya fruit set, development, and sugar accumulation and each mature leaf was able to provide photoassimilate for about three fruit.
Abstract
Papaya (Carica papaya L.) grown in Hawaii cannot be shipped to the mainland United States or to the markets in Japan without first being treated for possible fruit fly infestation. Currently, the so-called “double-dip” treatment (2) is being used for this purpose. This treatment consists of immersion of the fruit in 42°C water for 30 min, followed by a second immersion in 49° water for 20 min. Since this treatment is only effective in killing organisms near the surface of the fruit, it cannot be used on a fruit that has ripened to the point where insects may have penetrated deeply.