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: ramona_cotrut@yahoo.com 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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