60 Papaya
enclosed in a paper bag or rolled tube of newspaper and tied around the stem. This
method can be very practical and successful if enough labour is available. Growing
fruits are also covered with paper to avoid the sun scald.
4.7 Nipping
Cold weather may interfere with pollination and cause shedding of unfertilised
female flowers. After harvesting first crop, the terminal growth may be nipped off
to induce branching, which tends to dwarf the plant and facilitates easy harvesting
of succeeding crops. Removing the side shoots of the stem during the first crop and
cutting the old, dry, diseased leaves and petioles are regular practice for a healthy
harvest. Transmission of the virus mechanically from infected plant to others should
be avoided while carrying out these practices.
4.8 Pollarding
Mainly, congenial conditions for papaya growth in subtropical parts make plants
tall and thin, and they often get broken during cyclones and heavy rains. The fruit
yield is also poor which makes orchard uneconomical after the first-year crop of the
papaya. Hence, pollarding is required for ratoon crop (1-year-old) in order to reduce
the plant height and enhance yield and productivity. Prakash et al. (2014) reported
that the pollarding operation is done in the month of January at a height of 60 cm
under field conditions due to early sprouting, flowering, fruiting and highest yield
(34.56 kg/plant), while number of sprouted buds was maximum under 90 cm pol-
larded plants and it was minimum under 15 cm. The survival percentage was very
poor under lower height of the pollarding. This indicates that the sprouting buds are
active in the middle and upper zones of 1-year old papaya plants. Both higher and
lower pollarding heights did not produce encouraging results due to shattering of
branches at fruiting stage (Figure 4.4). The retention of two sprouted buds was ideal
in terms of fruit yield. The retention of higher number of sprouted branches was
recommended for pruning during fruit growth and development.
4.9 Smudging
Cold weather may interfere with pollination and cause shedding of unfertilised
female flowers. Spraying the inflorescence with growth regulators stops flower drop
and enhances fruit set significantly. After the first crop, the terminal growth may be
nipped off to induce branching which tends to dwarf the plant and facilitates harvest-
ing. However, unless the plants are strong enough, fruiting branches may need to be
propped to avoid collapse.
4.10 Cropping Systems
The papaya-based agro-horticultural systems are self-sustainable systems where
solar energy can be harvested properly and soil resources can be efficiently used.