ISHS Acta Horticulturae 740: I International Symposium on Papaya
SUSTAINABLE PAPAYA PRODUCTION IN WEST BENGAL, INDIA |
| Author: | S.K. Mitra |
| Keywords: | papaya, cultivars, sustainable production, nutrition, sex expression |
| Abstract:
Papaya is the fourth most important fruit of West Bengal after mango, banana and pineapple, covering an area of 7,540 hectares with an average production of 34.3 t/ha. Papaya research was initiated in 1982 and over the years sustainable production technology has been standardized. Cultivars ‘Ranchi’ and ‘Washington’ are recommended for table fruit, ‘CO. 2’ for papain production and ‘Pusa Dwarf’ for high-density orcharding. A spacing of 1.8 m x 1.8 m is suitable for cultivars ‘Ranchi’, ‘Washington’ and ‘CO. 2’ and 1.5 m x 1.5 m for ‘Pusa Dwarf’. Field experiments showed that 200-250 g nitrogen, 250-300 g phosphorus and 500-600 g potassium/plant/year were optimum depending on the cultivar for the region. Critical leaf nutrient level for ‘Ranchi’ has been standardized. A saving of 25% in recommended phosphorus has been observed when mixed vesicular and arbuscular mycorrihiza (Glomus mosseae, Glomus faciculatum and Gigaspora margarita) were added with the fertilizer. Total water requirement was estimated and irrigation at 60-80% available soil moisture (ASM) depletion was found optimum. Spraying the dioecious (‘Ranchi’, ‘Washington’) seedlings at 45 and 75 days after transplanting with naphtheleneacetic acid (NAA) at 100 ppm or ethrel at 200 ppm increased femaleness, yield and improved quality of fruits. | |
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