Comparison of the Morphological Characteristics, Yield, and Quality Traits of Fruits of Two Papaya Cultivars Grown Under Protected Cultivation

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the morphological characteristics and performance of Formosa and Sunrise Solo papaya cultivars under protected cultivation in subtropical climate conditions as well as the relationships between the yield and factors affecting the yield. The Formosa cultivars had higher values in terms of plant height (519.4 cm), stem diameter (238.4 mm), first flowering height (138.2 cm), and duration from flowering to harvest (141 days) compared to the Sunrise Solo cultivars. The yield per plant was higher in the Formosa cultivars (52.5 kg/plant/year) than in the Sunrise Solo cultivars (27.4 kg/plant/year). The values of fruit peel color parameters were highest in the spring, the fruit flesh firmness was highest in the autumn, and the soluble solid content was higher in fruits harvested in the summer. Medium to high positive phenotypic correlations were found between the first flowering height and fruit set, fruit weight, yield, fruit width, fruit length, and fruit flesh firmness (0.371–0.595) and between the fruit set (number/plant) and fruit weight, yield, fruit width, fruit length, and fruit flesh firmness (0.388–0.819) (p ≤ 0.01). The papaya can be commercially cultivated under protected cultivation in extreme subtropical conditions, and the Formosa cultivars generally performed better than the Sunrise Solo cultivars across many parameters.