Papaya

A field experiment was conducted for three consecutive years from 2011 to 2013 to study the effect of different irrigation scheduling through drip irrigation on papaya (Carica papaya Linn.) production in sandy loam soil. The experiment comprised of nine treatments under drip method of irrigation with combination of three irrigation regimes viz. 60%, 80% and 100% of cumulative pan evaporation (CPE), three different levels of fertilizer, and conventional irrigation at 50 mm CPE as a control treatment. The results showed that drip irrigation resulted in 45 to 66 % water saving with 21 to 36 % increase in papaya yield as compared to conventional method of irrigation. The water use efficiency was found maximum (3.39 t/ha/cm) in drip irrigation with 60 per cent cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) on daily basis. The drip irrigation at 100% CPE with 100% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) was found to be optimum for growth (139.17 cm), and papaya production (112.55 kg/plant)..

Abstrak
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui waktu persilangan yang baik pada pepaya serta untuk memperoleh informasi ada tidaknya efek metaxenia pada pepaya. Tujuh genotipe pepaya koleksi plasma nutfah PKBT IPB yaitu IPB 1, IPB 5, IPB 6, IPB 10, PB 000174, PB 000201 dan Str 6-4 ditanam dalam Rancangan Acak Kelompok faktor tunggal dengan empat kelompok sebagai ulangan di Kebun Percobaan IPB Tajur - Bogor, sejak bulan Maret 2004 sampai Februari 2005. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa tidak terdapat interaksi yang nyata antara genotipe dengan waktu persilangan. Persilangan yang dilakukan pada pagi hari (08.00 - 11.00) sama baiknya dengan persilangan yang dilakukan pada sore hari (14.00 - 17.00) dengan persentase keberhasilan persilangan masing-masing 42,16 dan 48,33%. Dari tiga genotipe yang digunakan untuk melihat ada tidaknya efek metaxenia, hanya pada genotipe IPB 1 ditemukan efek metaxenia. Efek metaxenia ditemukan pada karakter Padatan Terlarut Total (°Brix) dan tebal daging buah. Serbuk sari yang berasal dari genotipe IPB 10, PB 000201, IPB 5 dan IPB 6 meningkatkan rasa manis pada genotipe IPB 1. Serbuk sari yang berasal dari genotipe IPB 5, IPB 10, Str 6-4 dan IPB 6 mengakibatkan tebal daging buah genotipe IPB 1 bertambah. Walaupun demikian, sumber serbuk sari tidak langsung mengakibatkan perubahan warna daging buah.
Kata kunci : persilangan, efek metaxenia, genotipe, pepaya, Carica papaya

Abstract
This study aims to find a good time for hybridization on papaya and to obtain information on the presence or absence of the metaxenia effect on papaya. Seven genotypes of papaya germplasm collection of PKBT IPB namely IPB 1, IPB 5, IPB 6, IPB 10, PB 000174, PB 000201 and Str 6-4 were planted in a single-factor randomized block design with four groups as replicates in the Garden Experiments IPB Tajur - Bogor, from March 2004 to February 2005. The results showed that there was no significant interaction between genotype with the time of crosses. Crosses are made in the morning (08:00 to 11:00) as well as the crosses carried out in the afternoon (14:00 to 17:00) with the percentage of successful crosses respectively 42.16 and 48.33%. Of the three genotypes are used to see whether or not the metaxenia effect, only at genotype IPB 1 was found metaxenia effect. Metaxenia effect was found on the Total Dissolved Solids character (°Brix) and thick flesh. Pollen derived from genotype IPB 10, PB 000201, IPB 5 and IPB 6 increase sweetness on genotype IPB 1. Pollen from genotype IPB 5, IPB 10, Str 6-4 and IPB 6 increase thick flesh on genotype IPB 1. However, pollen source does not directly lead to changes in fruit color.
Key words : hybridization, metaxenia effect, genotype, papaya, Carica papaya

The effect of Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi on growth, nutrient uptake and root infectivity was determined in Rough Lemon (Citrus jambhiri) seedlings raised under four phosphorus regimes in sand culture and also in sand/nitrosol sterile and unsterile conditions. Inoculation with AM fungi increased the plant height, leaf number and stem girth in relation to un-inoculated seedlings grown under equivalent P concentrations. An increase in plant height, leaf number and stem girth also occurred in both inoculated sterile and un-sterile sand/nitrosol media in relation to un-inoculated sterile and unsterile media. Arbuscular mycorrhiza also increased the leaf area and the root, leaf and stem fresh and dry weights and also caused an increase in the uptake of phosphorus and potassium in the leaf tissues. It also favoured mycorrhizal infectivity of roots and increased the root absorptive surface area. This study indicates that AM fungi improves the capacity of tropical fruit to absorb and utilize plant nutrients possibly by increasing the effective root surface area from which available form of nutrients are absorbed and also by increasing access of roots by bridging the depletion zones. Inoculating seedlings with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi helps to alleviate the adverse effects of global warming and climate change. As a low cost technology, arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation is recommended as part of the regular practise for incorporating into nursery media used for tropical fruit seedling propagation.

The addition of organic amendments to agricultural soils has the potential to increase crop yields, reduce dependence
on inorganic fertilizers and improve soil condition and resilience. We evaluated the effect of biochar (B), compost (C) and co-composted biochar (COMBI) on the soil properties, crop yield and greenhouse gas emissions froma banana and a papaya plantation in tropical Australia in the first harvest cycle. Biochar, compost and COMBI organic amendments improved soil properties, including significant increases in soil water content, CEC, K, Ca, NO3, NH4 and soil carbon content. However, increases in soil nutrient content and improvements in physical properties did not translate to improved fruit yield. Counter to our expectations, banana crop yield (weight per
bunch) was reduced by 18%, 12% and 24% by B, C and COMBI additions respectively, and no significant effect was observed on the papaya crop yield. Soil efflux of CO2was elevated by addition of C and COMBI amendments, likely due to an increase in labile carbon for microbial processing. Our data indicate a reduction in N2O flux in treatments containing biochar. The application of B, C and COMBI amendments had a generally positive effect on soil properties, but this did not translate into a crop productivity increase in this study. The benefits to soil nutrient content, soil carbon storage and N2O emission reduction need to be carefully weighed against potentially deleterious effects on crop yield, at least in the short-term.

Eighteen seed samples collected from Karachi (17) and Sukkur (1) areas of Sindh, Pakistan, were analyzed for seed-borne fungi using
standard blotter method, agar plate method and deep-freezing methods as suggested by ISTA. At least 93 species belonging to 44
fungal genera were isolated mutually from all the seed samples analyzed. Agar plate method was found to be the best for the isolation
of fungi. Species of Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Rhizopus and Trichoderma were isolated through all methods. Blotter
method was the best for the isolation of Chaetomium and Fusarium species, while species of Curvularia and Drechslera favoured
growth on PDA medium. Surface sterilization of seeds with 1% Ca (OCl)2 has reduced the incidence of superficial fungi. Modification
was also introduced in all three methods by increasing the incubation time period. The current work with papaya as host plant was
carried out supposedly for the first time; hence all the fungal species mentioned hereby are new reports from papaya seeds from
Pakistan.

Ollitrault, P., Bruyère, S., Ocampo, J.A., de Lapeyre, J.L., Gallard, A., Argoud,  L., Duval, M-F., Coppens d'Eeckenbrugge, G., F. Le Bellec. 2007. Papaya breeding for tolerance to bacterial decline (Erwinia sp.) in the Caribbean region. Acta Horticulturae, 740: 79-91.

The steady increase in the price of protein feed ingredients and the retraction of antibiotics from diets has encouraged nutritionists to search the alternatives for protein source and functional feedstuffs that can substitute the role of antibiotic growth promoters in poultry production. With crude protein of 24-30%, in vitro protein digestibility of 80% and proportion of essential amino acids of 47%, seed from ripe papaya may be exploited as the alternative protein feed ingredient for poultry. Moreover, the growth promoting effect, antimicrobial and antiparasitic activities, and immunomodulatory and antioxidative activities may confirm the potential of papaya seed as a functional feedstuff that could replace the role of antibiotic growth promoters for poultry. The in-depth study is needed to further elucidate the functionalities of papaya seed on poultry. This review provides the updates on the nutritional contents of papaya seed, the potential of papaya seed as an alternative to conventional protein-rich ingredient, the growth-promoting effect of feeding papaya seed, the antimicrobial and antiparasitic activities of papaya seed, antioxidative activities of papaya seed, and the immunomodulatory activity of papaya seed on poultry.

Selain untuk konsumsi buah segar, buah pepaya matang dapat diolah menjadi saus pepaya. Buah yang setengah matang biasanya dibuat manisan, sedangkan buah muda disayur. Daunnya yang masih muda serta bunganya dibuat urap (lalap masak) dan buntil. Tanaman yang masih berdaun 3-5 helai dan buah muda dapat diambil getahnya untuk papain. Papain digunakan untuk penyamak kulit serta melunakkan daging dan bahan kosmetik. Tanaman pepaya dapat tumbuh di dataran rendah hingga ketinggian 1.000 m dpl. Tanaman ini lebih senang tumbuh di lokasi yang banyak hujan (cukup tersedia air), curah hujan 1000-2000 mm per tahun dan merata sepanjang tahun. Tanaman ini lebih senang tumbuh di lokasi yang banyak hujan (cukup tersedia air), curah hujan 1000-2000 mm per tahun dan merata sepanjang tahun. Di daerah yang beriklim kering, musim hujannya 2-5 bulan, dan musim kemaraunya 6-8 bulan, tanaman pepaya masih mampu berbuah, asalkan kedalaman air tanahnya 50-150 cm. Tanah yang subur dengan porositas baik, mengandung kapur, dan ber-pH 6-7 paling disenangi oleh tanaman pepaya. Tanaman pepaya lebih menyukai daerah terbuka (tidak ternaungi) dan tidak tergenang air. Tanah yang berdrainase tidak baik menyebabkan tanaman mudah terserang penyakit akar.

Carica papaya Linn. is known for its nutritional values. The seeds are often discarded after eating the fruits. This research work was carried out to determine some in vitro qualities of its products. The oil qualities are: specific gravity (0.918 ± 0.002), refractive index (1.469 ± 0.003), free fatty acid (0.277 ± 0.006 mgKOH/g), thiobarbituric acid (0.451 ± 0.005 μm/g), and saponification (32.900 ± 0.739 mgKOH/g). The oil has high fat (26.660 ± 0.052%), carbohydrates (72.69 ± 0.062%) and the energy values (524.913 ± 0.591 kcal/100g). The seed coat possessed high crude fibre (30.451 ± 6.209%), ash (9.042 ± 0.012%), crude protein (32.680 ± 0.035%), and thiobarbituric acid (1.819 ± 0.004 μM/g). It also possesses antioxidant reducing activity (39.167 ± 0.722 μg/ml), free radical scavenging power (42.923 ± 5.825%) and polyphenol (119.917 ± 2.626 μg/ml). Both products could provide nutritional and health benefits when consumed.   Key words: Carica papaya seed, oil, seed coat, qualities,...

Precision agriculture is area with lack of cheap technology. The refinement of the production system brings large advantages to the producer and the use of images makes the monitoring a more cheap methodology. Macronutrients monitoring can to determine the health and vulnerability of the plant in specific stages. In this paper is analyzed the method based on computational intelligence to work with image segmentation in
the identification of symptoms of plant nutrient deficiency. Artificial neural networks are evaluated for image segmentation and filtering, several variations of parameters and insertion impulsive noise were evaluated too. Satisfactory results are achieved with artificial neural for segmentation same with high noise levels.

Scheldeman, X., Willemen, L., Coppens d’Eeckenbrugge, G., Romeijn-Peeter, E., Restrepo, M.T., Romero Motoche J., Jiménez, D., Lobo, M.., Medina, C.I,. Reyes, C., Rodríguez, D., Ocampo, J.A., Van Damme,  P.,  Goetgebeur,  P. 2007. Distribution, diversity and environmental adaptation of highland papayas (Vasconcellea spp.) in tropical and subtropical America. Biodiversity and Conservation, 16(6):1867-1884.

Vasconcellea species, often referred to as highland papayas, consist of a group of fruit species that are closely related to the common papaya (Carica papaya). The genus deserves special attention as a number of species show potential as raw material in the tropical fruit industry, fresh o in processed products, or as genetic resources in papaya breeding programs. Some species show a very restricted distribution and are included in the IUCN Red List. This study on Vasconcellea distribution and diversity compiled collection data from five Vasconcellea projects and retrieved data from 62 herbaria, resulting in a total of 1,553 georeferenced collection sites, in 16 countries, including all 21 currently known Vasconcellea species. Spatial analysis of species richness clearly shows that Ecuador, Colombia and Peru are areas of high Vasconcellea diversity. Combination of species occurrence data with climatic data delimitates the potential distribution of each species and allows the modeling of potential richness at continent level. Based on these modeled richness maps, Ecuador appears to be the country with the highest potential Vasconcellea diversity. Despite differences in sampling densities, its neighboring countries, Peru and Colombia, possess high modeled species richness as well. A combination of observed richness maps and modeled potential richness maps makes it possible to identify important collection gaps. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of climate data at the collection sites allows us to define climatic preferences and adaptability of the different Vasconcellea species and to compare them with those of the common papaya.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate various extracts of Annona squamosa L
(Annonanceae) and Carica papaya L (Caricaceae) seeds for their antioxidant activity, free radical
scavenging ability, total phenolic and flavonoid contents.
Design/methodology/approach – Samples from both the seeds were prepared by subjecting them
to microwave-assisted extraction. After determining their antioxidant properties and polyphenolic
contents, correlation between them was also investigated.
Findings – Highest antioxidant activity (3,179.66 g gallic acid equivalent/g of dry extract) and
phenol content were registered by chloroform:methanol extract of C. papaya seeds. Maximum radical
scavenging activity (3,201.63 ascorbic acid equivalent antioxidant capacity g/100 g of dry extract)
was exerted by water extract of A. squamosa seeds, whereas acetone extract of C. papaya registered
highest flavonoid content among all extracts. Polar extracts were found to be better free radical
scavengers compared with those less polar. Hexane extracts showed least DPPH radical scavenging
activity. Acetone proved efficient in extracting flavonoids, whereas phenols were best extracted in a
mixture of chloroform and methanol. Phenolic metabolites seem to be contributing significantly
towards antioxidant activity of the C. papaya extracts, but less so in the case of A. squamosa.
Originality/value – There have been few reports on antioxidant activity of non-edible parts of
commonly consumed fruits. The research indicates that seeds may be a promising source of
antioxidants, which may have therapeutic implications.

Epididymis play a very important role in the male reproduction. It is also the job of the epididymis to bring the sperms to maturity since the sperms that emerge from the testes are immature and incapable of fertilization. Contraceptive efficacy of C. papaya seed extracts have also been well documented in various animal models. This study examines the effect of oral administration of ethanol extract ofC. papaya seeds on the histology of epididymis of the adult male albino mice. 60 healthy adult male albino mice were divided into 4 Groups (Group I to IV) of 15 mice each. 50 and 70 mg/kg/day of the extract were orally administered to Groups II and III respectively while Group I served as placebo (control). The daily administration was carried out for a period of 45 days after which the animals of Group I ,II and III were sacrificed. The epididymis were obtained and processed for light microscopy. Reversibility studies were carried out in Group IV animals in which the higher dose treat...

Aim: The study investigated the effect of papaya seeds on prostate cancer (PC) using PC-3 cell line because papaya seeds have effects on the male reproductive system notably decreasing sperm concentration, motility, and viability, leading to azoospermia after short-to-long-term treatment.

Methods: The black seeds from yellow (ripe) papaya and white seeds from green (unripe) papaya were harvested and then extracted in water, 80% methanol, and hexane. The cytotoxic effects of seeds extracts were determined using a WST-1 proliferation assay. The amount of total polyphenols was determined using Folin Ciocalteu reagent.

Results: The methanol extracts from black seeds significantly (P < 0.05) decreased cell proliferation of PC-3 cells whereas hexane- and water-extracts have no effect. However, the water-extract from white seeds stimulated PC cell proliferation. The black seeds contained significantly more polyphenols than that of white seeds. The data suggest that black seeds from papaya have anticancer effects on PCs whereas white seeds stimulated prostate cancer proliferation. The anticancer effect of black seeds may be because of their high concentration of polyphenols.

Conclusion: The black seeds from papaya may have a potential to reduce growth of prostate cells; however, consumption of white seeds should be avoided as they may stimulate pre-existing prostate cancer.

Carica papaya Linn. is known for its nutritional values. The seeds are often discarded after eating the fruits. This research work was carried out to determine some in vitro qualities of its products. The oil qualities are: specific gravity (0.918 ± 0.002), refractive index (1.469 ± 0.003), free fatty acid (0.277 ± 0.006 mgKOH/g), thiobarbituric acid (0.451 ± 0.005 µm/g), and saponification (32.900 ± 0.739 mgKOH/g). The oil has high fat (26.660 ± 0.052%), carbohydrates (72.69 ± 0.062%) and the energy values (524.913 ± 0.591 kcal/100g). The seed coat possessed high crude fibre (30.451 ± 6.209%), ash (9.042 ± 0.012%), crude protein (32.680 ± 0.035%), and thiobarbituric acid (1.819 ± 0.004 µM/g). It also possesses antioxidant reducing activity (39.167 ± 0.722 µg/ml), free radical scavenging power (42.923 ± 5.825%) and polyphenol (119.917 ± 2.626 µg/ml). Both products could provide nutritional and health benefits when consumed.

The addition of organic amendments to agricultural soils has the potential to increase crop yields, reduce dependence on inorganic fertilizers and improve soil condition and resilience. We evaluated the effect of biochar (B), compost (C) and co-composted biochar (COMBI) on the soil properties, crop yield and greenhouse gas emissions from a banana and a papaya plantation in tropical Australia in the first harvest cycle. Biochar, compost and COMBI organic amendments improved soil properties, including significant increases in soil water content, CEC, K, Ca, NO3, NH4 and soil carbon content. However, increases in soil nutrient content and improvements in physical properties did not translate to improved fruit yield. Counter to our expectations, banana crop yield (weight per bunch) was reduced by 18%, 12% and 24% by B, C and COMBI additions respectively, and no significant effect was observed on the papaya crop yield. Soil efflux of CO2 was elevated by addition of C and COMBI amendments, likely due to an increase in labile carbon for microbial processing. Our data indicate a reduction in N2O flux in treatments containing biochar. The application of B, C and COMBI amendments had a generally positive effect on soil properties, but this did not translate into a crop productivity increase in this study. The benefits to soil nutrient content, soil carbon storage and N2O emission reduction need to be carefully weighed against potentially deleterious effects on crop yield, at least in the short-term.

Background: Dietary supplements of Carica papaya Linn fermented with yeast using a biotechnological process have well recognized positive effects on immunological, hematological, inflammatory, and oxidative stress parameters, utilized as biomarkers of chronic and
degenerative diseases. Although many natural products fermented with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have shown beneficial effects on the immune system and on antioxidant defenses, formulations of papaya fermented with LAB have not yet been studied.

Aims: The aims of this study were to investigate the immunomodulatory activity linked to the type of papaya fermentation (yeast vs LAB) in macrophages and to evaluate whether the type of fermentation differently modulates oxidative stress both in cell free system and in a model of embryonic brain cells.

Methods: Cytotoxicity was evaluated through cell proliferation kinetic and lactate dehydrogenase release assays; immunomodulatory activity through the transcriptional activation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNFα) by qRT-PCR in
RAW 264.7 macrophages; antioxidant capacity was assessed, in cell free system and in pheochromocytoma cells embryonic brain cells, by measuring the intracellular ROS levels through a fluorescent dye.

Results: Our data showed that all the formulations studied are safe at low concentrations (3-6 mg/ml); the LAB- fermented formulations promoted the expression of iNOS and TNFα more efficiently than yeast-fermented papaya preparation (p <0.001). In a cell free system, the LABfermented formulation acted as mild scavengers of ROS while, in cells, both formulations didn’t show any significant effect.

Conclusions: This study corroborates previous reports showing the efficacy of yeast fermented papaya as a potent immunostimulant and highlights the beneficial contribution of lactic bacteria fermentation.

Keywords: papaya, lactic fermentation, immunostimulant activity, antioxidant activity

Vasconcellea species, often referred to as highland papayas, consist of a group of fruit species that are closely related to the common papaya (Carica papaya). The genus deserves special attention as a number of species show potential as raw material in the tropical fruit industry, fresh or in processed products, or as genetic resources in papaya breeding programs. Some species show a very restricted distribution and are included in the IUCN Red List. This study on Vasconcellea distribution and diversity compiled collection data from five Vasconcellea projects and retrieved data from 62 herbaria, resulting in a total of 1,553 georeferenced collection sites, in 16 countries, including all 21 currently known Vasconcellea species. Spatial analysis of species richness clearly shows that Ecuador, Colombia and Peru are areas of high Vasconcellea diversity. Combination of species occurrence data with climatic data delimitates the potential distribution of each species and allows the modeling of potential richness at continent level. Based on these modeled richness maps, Ecuador appears to be the country with the highest potential Vasconcellea diversity. Despite differences in sampling densities, its neighboring countries, Peru and Colombia, possess high modeled species richness as well. A combination of observed richness maps and modeled potential richness maps makes it possible to identify important collection gaps. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of climate data at the collection sites allows us to define climatic preferences and adaptability of the different Vasconcellea species and to compare them with those of the common papaya.

Ollitrault, P., Bruyère, S., Ocampo, J.A., de Lapeyre, J.L., Gallard, A., Argoud, L., Duval, M-F., Coppens d&#39;Eeckenbrugge, G., F. Le Bellec. 2007. Papaya breeding for tolerance to bacterial decline (Erwinia sp.) in the Caribbean region. Acta Horticulturae, 740: 79-91.

Restrepo, M.T., Duval, M.-F., Coppens d'Eeckenbrugge, G., Jiménez, D., Vega, J., Van Droogenbroeck, B. 2004. Study of cpDNA diversity in mountain papayas and the common papaya using PCR RFLP markers. Proceedings of the Interamerican Society for Tropical Horticulture, 48: 101-107.

Abstrak

Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mempelajari karakteristik morfologi dan mendeskripsikan 15 genotipe pepaya hasil eksplorasi PKBT IPB di Jawa Tengah dan Jawa Timur. Penelitian dilaksanakan di Kebun Percobaan Cikabayan pada bulan September 2001 hingga bulan Juni 2002. Rancangan percobaan yang digunakan adalah Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) faktor tunggal, yaitu 15 genotipe pepaya sebagai perlakuan dengan dua kelompok sebagai ulangan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan pada karakter kuantitatif dan karakter kualitatif diantara genotipe-genotipe yang diuji. Uji korelasi memperlihatkan bahwa terdapat korelasi positif antara tinggi tanaman dengan diameter batang, panjang petiole dengan panjang daun, panjang petiole dengan lebar daun dan panjang daun dengan lebar daun. Genotipe pepaya yang memiliki batang yang kuat adalah Hawai Lonjong, Jinggo dan Jinggo 5, sedangkan genotipe yang berpotensi sebagai tetua dengan perawakan yang pendek adalah Batang Ungu Watulimo, Mojosongo, Turen 1 dan Turen Talang. Genotipe dengan penampilan daun yang pendek terdapat pada Mojosongo dan Turen. Berdasarkan karakter kualitatif, genotipe pepaya yang memiliki perbedaan paling menonjol diantara genotipe-genotipe yang lain adalah Batang Ungu Watulimo, sedangkan pasangan-pasangan genotipe yang memiliki tingkat kemiripan yang besar (mencapai 82,85%) yaitu Mojosongo dengan Hawai Lonjong, Jinggo dengan Jinggo 5, Mojosongo HB dengan Turen Talang, Hawai Kecil dengan Talang Suko dan Tegal Arum Mojosongo dengan Turen.

Kata kunci : karakterisasi, genotipe, pepaya

Abstract

This research came to study characterization of morfology and to describe 15 genotypes of papaya resulted from PKBT IPB's exploration at Centre and East Java. The research was conducted at Cikabayan Station research of IPB on September 2001 - June 2002. The research used randomized complete block design with 2 replications and 15 genotypes of papaya used as treatment. The result showed that quantitative and qualitative characters between genotypes that tested were different. Correlation test showed that correlation between plant high with diameter of stem, petiole length with leaf length, petiole length with leaf wide and leaf length with leaf wide were positive. Papaya genotype that have strong stem is Hawai Lonjong, Jinggo and Jinggo 5, whereas genotype which potential as parent with short stature is Batang Ungu Watulimo, Mojosongo, Turen 1 and Turen Talang. Genotype with short leave stature was found at Mojosongo an Turen. Based on qualitative characters, Batang Ungu Watulimo was papaya genotype which have dominant different between other genotypes, whereas genotype pairs which have high level similarity are Mojosongo with Hawai Lonjong, Jinggo with Jinggo 5, Mojosongo HB with Turen Talang, Hawai Kecil with Talang Suko and Tegal Arum Mojosongo with Turen.

Key words : characterization, genotype, papaya

Scheldeman, X., Kyndt, T., Coppens d’Eeckenbrugge, G. Ming, R., Drew, R., Van Droogenbroeck, B., Van Damme, P., Moore, P.H. 2011. Vasconcellea and Carica. In Kole, C. (ed.): Wild crop relatives: genomic and breeding resources. Tropical and subtropical fruits. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, 213-249.

Vasconcellea, comprising 21 species, is the largest genus of the Caricaceae, best known for the monotypic genus Carica, including papaya (C. papaya), one of the most important tropical fruit crops. It is distributed from Mexico to Chile, with the center of diversity in Ecuador and Colombia. Because of their preference for higher altitudes, most Vasconcellea species are referred to as highland or mountain papayas. Currently, five of them are threatened and red-listed and four are not found in protected areas, while none of them are currently present in seed collections, raising questions on their conservation and urging for rapid action. Some Vasconcellea species have potential as novel tropical fruits, particularly V. × heilbornii, V. cundinamarcensis, and V. goudotiana, which are being used for a growing (niche) market for new exotic products. As a source of papain, several Vasconcellea species show proteolytic activity up to 17 times as high as that of papaya. Others are being used as a source of new genes for papaya breeding, particularly for disease resistance (especially against papaya ringspot virus), cold tolerance, and specific organoleptic traits. Optimal use of Vasconcellea genetic resources requires a better understanding of its genetic potential, as well as the development of technologies to create intergeneric hybrids with papaya, as conventional breeding faces significant barriers. Cytogenetic and molecular studies, based on AFLP, PCR-RFLP, and SRR analysis, have allowed a better understanding of the evolution of the main Vasconcellea species, indicating complex hybridization and introgression processes among multiple species, which contrasts with the straightforward domestication of the common papaya. Genomic research in Vasconcellea has been limited to the sequencing of some gene fragments and the development of BAC libraries for a few species. Recent progress on papaya genomics, the development of a high-density genetic map, and the sequencing of the genome will help in the identification of genes of interest in Vasconcellea, either for papaya breeding or for the development of Vasconcellea species as new crops.

Epididymis play a very important role in the male reproduction. It is also the job of the epididymis to bring the sperms to maturity since the sperms that emerge from the testes are immature and incapable of fertilization. Contraceptive efficacy of C. papaya seed extracts have also been well documented in various animal models. This study examines the effect of oral administration of ethanol extract ofC. papaya seeds on the histology of epididymis of the adult male albino mice. 60 healthy adult male albino mice were divided into 4 Groups (Group I to IV) of 15 mice each. 50 and 70 mg/kg/day of the extract were orally administered to Groups II and III respectively while Group I served as placebo (control). The daily administration was carried out for a period of 45 days after which the animals of Group I ,II and III were sacrificed. The epididymis were obtained and processed for light microscopy. Reversibility studies were carried out in Group IV animals in which the higher dose treat...