Papaya Biology, Cultivation, Production and Uses

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Preface

Current climatic vulnerabilities place further stress upon new industrial approaches
to a fruit sector facing alarmingly receding land and water resources, in addition to
impeding population pressure leading to a food/fruit security crisis in the current
global scenario. We cannot ensure sufficient fresh fruit supplies to feed teeming mil-
lions unless fruit technology is improved and modulated to keep pace with demand
and supply. In the area of food and feed safety, this book covers the nutrients, anti-
nutrients or toxicants, information of papaya’s use as a food/feed and other relevant
information. Papaya is one of the most nutritious and medicinally important fruit
of the tropical region. Recently, its industrial value has also increased due to the
enzyme ‘papain’, which has a number of industrial uses. Therefore, its cultivation
has become highly profitable. Farmers can easily earn about Rs. 100,000 from a
hectare of papaya plantation either by papain extraction or by marketing unripe and
ripe fruits. Thus, our approaches toward fruit production, especially papaya farm-
ing, need to be redefined under subtropical conditions. Therefore, both academic
and practical knowledge on papaya production is essential to formulate manage-
ment practices for sustainable agricultural development. In providing fresh papaya
produce and livelihood security to the masses of developing countries such as India,
scientific papaya cultivation and efficient use of resources play key roles.
Thus, an attempt has been made to generate and compile the relevant information
on recent advances in papaya production and to comprehend all aspects of manag-
ing this crop in Papaya: Biology, Cultivation, Improvement and Uses. This book
comprises advanced information on agronomy, breeding, seed production technol-
ogy, scientific crop management issues and protected cultivation. It also addresses
compositional considerations for new varieties of papaya by identifying the key food
and feed nutrients, anti-nutrients, toxicants and allergens. In addition to this, there is
background material on the production, processing and uses of papaya and consider-
ations to take into account when assessing new varieties of papaya. Constituents to
be analysed related to food use and to feed use are suggested.
This book will be of immense use to students and faculty of the Indian Council
of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs), and
to researchers and academicians of other teaching, research- and extension-related
organisations of regional, national and international repute. There may be deficien-
cies in this publication, which the authors/editors would like to improve upon in the
future. Therefore, the authors welcome suggestions from readers to further improve
the book.

Parmeshwar Lal Saran

Ishwar Singh Solanki

Ravish Choudhary