Micropropagation Studies in Papaya (Carica papaya L.) cv. ‘Surya’

Abstract

Papaya is considered one of the important fruit crops in many tropical and subtropical countries. It is rich source of carbohydrates, minerals, vitamin A and C, pectin, alkaloid and carpine. Papaya is used as fresh, ripened fruit as well as raw vegetable. This fruit is gaining more importance due to extraction of latex which is known to contain an enzyme papain and chymopapain1. The papain is used in tenderizing of meat, manufacture of cosmetics, curing of leather, brewing, chill proofing of beer and treatment of digestive disorders. Biologically papaya plant has three types of flowers such as male, female and bisexual but only female and bisexual types are productive. In commercial plantation it is very often found that male plants prevail as high as 30% and some times over 50% of the total (Jordan et al., 1983).