ECONOMIC PROSPECTS FOR GROWING ‘FRANGI’ PAPAYA UNDER RAINSHELTER

The Malaysian Agrifood Corporation (MAFC) produces a petite papaya (500-800 g) from a new hybrid ‘Frangi’. To improve fruit quality and investigate the possibility of producing premium organic papaya, cultivation under Rain Shelter (RS) was attempted.
In this report, the cost of production under RS against open cultivation were compared as well as the tree and fruit quality characteristics.
Trees under RS were taller with thinner stems and longer internodes (more etiolated under shade as expected), but came into bearing earlier and had higher yield because of better fruit set.
Under dry conditions, diseases such as malformed top (Cladosporium) and fruit diseases such as brown blotch/anthracnose (Colletotrichum) were almost non-existent.
Commercial papaya production under RS may be justified because of the higher marketable yield of clean, premium fruit, savings in inputs, greener cultivation and food safety, improved storability and fruit quality and higher prices expected from elite, including organic markets.

III International Symposium on Papaya

M.U. Wafa

‘Frangi’ papaya, rainshelter, organic papaya, brownblotch

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2014.1022.24