Papaya

MANILA, Philippines - Papaya is one of the most popular tropical fruits of the world. It is craved for by the geriatric population for its laxative and bulking qualities to maintain colonic regularity. Lore has it that it was introduced by the Spanish friars to support their vows of celibacy but history and researches on its component nutrients point toward the other direction.

Commonly and erroneously referred to as “Papaya Tree”, the plant is properly a large herb. The plant usually grows to 3 meters or more and may reach 10 meters in typhoon-free areas.

Uses of Papaya

Papaya fruits come in different shapes, sizes and colors. For table use, the Cavite Giants (3 kilos or more) are more popular with big kitchens, hotels and eateries. For home consumption, the smaller “Solo” varieties are favored. Most of the yellow flesh varieties have delicate flavors. Reds and pink flesh papayas on the other hand are sweet but some sensitive individuals are repulsed by slight fecal stench caused by the strong digestive enzymes on the skin and flesh.

Green fruits are used in Asia for culinary purposes ranging from soup (in Tinola), salads (Som Tam in Thailand), pickles (Achar, Rujak and Achara), to preserves (Papaya Bukayo, Papaya Ribbons and Papaya candies). 

Papaya farmers prefer hermaphrodite (both male and female parts are present in same flower and gives pear-shaped and elongated fruits) plants. Female trees give round fruits that take a lot of shipping space. Male plants are usually destroyed in the Philippines. The male flowers may be sautéed or cooked in soups (or add to Tinola) while young fully expanded leaves of male trees are boiled in Indonesia in place of boiled cassava leaves.

Papaya seeds are used in salad dressing to impart a tangy peppery taste to the salads and as veterinary antihelminthic (de-worming medicine). The dry seeds are used as adulterant to locally produced black pepper to bring down the price.

Latex derived from the leaves and stalks are used as meat tenderizer and as medicine (as mucolytic and anti-inflammatory).    

Cultivated Varieties

There is great variability in size, color and flavor in papayas. Some of the more common varieties encountered in the Philippines are:

“Cavite” or “Cavite Giant”. The fruits are large (more than 3 kilos) usually found in local markets;

“Sinta” – release of Institute of Plant Breeding of UPLB. Fruit size and shape highly irregular and unpredictable;

“Red Lady” – Red-flesh variety from Known You Seed Company, distributed by Harvest;

“Waimanalo” – University of Hawaii release; 1 kilo fruits; it has long storage life and may be used fresh or processed; growers raise only bisexual (hermaphrodite) plants; Hermaphrodite plants can produce 85% (15% females) from seeds gathered from hermaphrodite fruits;

“Brazil” – yellow thick-fleshed variety. Oblong fruits are uniformly 1 kilogram size. Excellent flavor;

“Kiak Dam” – Thai variety used in “Som Tam” (Papaya Pokpok Salad). Relatively fibrous red firm meat. Flesh does not become mushy; Fruits are always elongated with very dark green skin;

“Kapoho” – Small bulb-shaped fruits. This variety has the best flavor among the table papayas. Yellow flesh is preferred by food processors because it does not have the bad odor of the reds and pinks after processing. This variety may be planted in high rainfall areas;

Cultivation

Papayas are usually grown from seeds. Seed viability is very critical because germination declines very fast in storage; Seeds older than 6 months are better discarded; 

Always pre-soak seeds for 24 hrs before planting. Seeds may then be planted individually in plugs. Fungicide drench (e.g. Chlorothalonil) right after planting secures the plantlet from damp off. When plantlets reach 2 times the width of the plug cells, it is time to replant into bigger plastic pots.

Papaya plantlets are planted in the field when they reach 18 inches (1.5 ft.). The oversized plantlets may be planted in a 30 degree slant from the ground. Plants may be scarred (with a singular line) with knife to form callus in the underside of the almost horizontal stems. These will serve as the root starter later in growth. 

As the plant stem negotiates the curve, it saves the grower 6 months of climbing up the lather because it takes the plant several months to bend upwards. Slant planting technique was developed in Taiwan to prevent typhoon toppling and to make harvesting simple. Additional soil may be added under the plant stem to make the plant root in the inclined region. This strengthens the plant against strong winds.

Out field planted papayas should be irrigated 2 to 3 times a week. Complete fertilizers with trace elements may be used before flowering. Too much nitrogen should be avoided because it will induce big leaves and less fruits. Spraying potassium sulfate at rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon will make the fruits sweet. Do not spray Potassium if fruits are intended to be harvested green.

The most devastating diseases of papayas are the Papaya Mosaic Virus (carried by aphid), Papaya Ringspot Virus (transmitted by aphids) and the Bunchytop mycoplasma (transmitted by leafhoppers). All efforts should be focused on eradicating the vectors. In commercial production, controlling the vectors of these diseases is one of the main operations of papaya production. This results in fruits heavily laden with pesticide residues. 

Organically home growing your own papaya is the best way to enjoy this fruit. Planting a few plants behind the house will secure your requirements with enough fruits to give to friends and relatives. Syringing your plants with spent laundry wash should rid your plants of insects that might transmit the viruses. Planting in front of the house is also an option and may not necessarily result in any calamitous event.