xiiiForeword
Horticulture, including fruits, vegetables, medici-
nal and aromatic plants, mushrooms and flori-
culture, has emerged as an important sector for
diversification of agriculture. Currently, horticul-
ture has established its credibility in improving
income through increased productivity, generating
employment and enhancing exports, besides pro-
viding household nutritional security. The focused
attention on enhancing investment in horticulture
during the last decade has been rewarding in terms
of increased production and productivity of hor-
ticultural crops with manifold export potential.
India has emerged as the second largest producer
of fruits in the world. Export of fruits and flowers
has also increased many times over. The country already has a predominant share in
the production of papaya.
India is the largest producer of papaya in the world, contributing about 37%
with 106,000 hectares and 39.60 mt/hectare of productivity. Recent advances
are finding increased applications in horticulture enzyme and pharmaceutical
industries, and this trend should continue through crop improvement. Recent
techniques to speed up genomics for development of viral disease–resistant and
high-yielding varieties through genetic engineering are the need of the hour.
Papaya has invariably improved the economic status of our farmers. The decision
of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute Regional Station, Pusa, Bihar, to
release a book on papaya is indeed very timely. It is expected to fulfill the long-felt
need of all those engaged in papaya production and utilisation. To make this book
useful to amateur farmers, all aspects related to this crop’s cultivation, botany,
biology, genetics, medicinal uses, protected cultivation, unfruitfulness, plant
protection and physiological disorders have been covered in considerable detail.
With the vast available literature scattered over various sources, it is difficult
for researchers and students to remain abreast of all the papaya industry–related
developments. I compliment the commendable efforts of Dr. Parmeshwar Lal Saran,
Dr. Ishwar Singh Solanki and Dr. Ravish Choudhary and congratulate them for
their work on Papaya: Biology, Cultivation, Production and Uses. I am sure this