Response of juvenile ‘Jumbo Red’ papaya to soil moisture stress alleviation

There is a need for year-round production of fruits such as papaya to meet the increased demand in southwest Nigeria.
Soil moisture stress during the dry season limits such possibility by retarding growth and yield of fruit crops.
Consequently, a greenhouse study was conducted between November 2017 and February 2018 at the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria to determine the irrigation needs of juvenile plants of ‘Jumbo Red’ papaya.
Eight-week-old seedlings each potted in 5 kg of loamy sand received 125, 250, 500 or 1000 mL water plant^‑1 week^‑1. The rates were assigned following a completely randomised design with four replicates.
Soil moisture was tracked gravimetrically on alternate days.
Growth response was monitored on alternate weeks using shoot height, stem girth, canopy diameter and leaf area.
Total dry matter accumulation and chlorophyll content were determined 10 weeks after irrigation commenced.
Compared with irrigation rates of 500 or 1000 mL water plant^‑1 week, 125 or 250 mL water plant^‑1 week^‑1 significantly curtailed shoot height, stem girth, root depth and total dry weight.
The effects of irrigation with 500 mL water plant^‑1 week^‑1 for these parameters, leaf area and canopy diameter often did not differ significantly from those irrigated with 1000 mL water plant^‑1 week^‑1, but they were significantly superior to those irrigated with 125 mL water plant^‑1 week^‑1. During the dry season, irrigation with 500 mL water plant^‑1 week^‑1 5 kg^‑1 soil is critical for the growth of papaya.

IV All Africa Horticultural Congress – AAHC2021: Transformative Innovations in Horticulture

I.O.O. Aiyelaagbe, E.D. Hunpe

chlorophyll content, dry season, pawpaw, southwest Nigeria, water stress

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2022.1348.23