Author Topic: Dwarf papaya experiment  (Read 550 times)

gnappi

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Dwarf papaya experiment
« on: March 27, 2021, 06:26:08 AM »
I got interested in smaller papaya plants because the L-A-R-G-E samples I've had were a pain to pick fruit from as they grew very tall. When it came time to take them down they were a seriously big mess. The one redeeming aspect is the fruits were very good without any hint of the typical rancid smell, or vomit overtones in the flavor.

So, I noted a few small stature samples from a batch of seedlings I planted, and picking the smallest tree from every generation yielded truly dwarf (by humongous size comparison to the original parent) trees. These fruited three to four feet from the ground, and stayed petite (no more than 7-8 feet) while keeping a base caliper less than six inches in diameter. I'm on my third and possibly last generation of attempts to get reasonably edible fruit.

Each successive generation yielded fewer, smaller fruits with fewer seeds, and on this third generation, the fruit are insipid AND none of the very few seeds that were in the fruit have germinated so far.  Surprisingly the squirrels seem to like them more than other fruits I'd prefer they not eat :-)

This is so disappointing as I had high hopes for these samples. Has anyone else done anything like this? 

 
Regards,

   Gary

lebmung

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Re: Dwarf papaya experiment
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2021, 06:57:17 AM »
It all depends on the cultivar.
Some hybrids ar very small less than 4 ft.
I make a lot of experiments but my climate it 's cold and difficult to carry on.
There is an Indian dwarf papaya bearing very low that I grow, if you are interested in seeds pm

gnappi

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Re: Dwarf papaya experiment
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2021, 01:52:21 PM »
It all depends on the cultivar.
Some hybrids ar very small less than 4 ft.
I make a lot of experiments but my climate it 's cold and difficult to carry on.
There is an Indian dwarf papaya bearing very low that I grow, if you are interested in seeds pm

All of the plants started out from a VERY large parent. I really liked the fruit so I planted seeds and forgot about them. When it became obvious some were far less vigorous growers, I pulled the larger ones and let the smaller ones grow to fruit. I did it again planting the seeds of the smallest fruit, and then again. The result was the smaller, thinner trees that fruited around 4' from the ground with small fruits and very few seeds.

I've not seen a hybrid that stays less than four feet.



 
Regards,

   Gary

lebmung

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Re: Dwarf papaya experiment
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2021, 03:50:40 PM »
You did a selection, in selecting weak offsprings. So you didn't actually get a dwarf plant but weak plants that struggled to live. Genetically you chose the weak. According to natural selection the strongest will survive on long term.

Yes there are Pusa Nahna and Pusa Dwarf, both developed in India. They flower at a foot and don't grow tall. I grow them in pots.

Triphal

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Re: Dwarf papaya experiment
« Reply #4 on: March 27, 2021, 08:19:28 PM »
This may help. East West Seed Company in Philippines have excellent Dwarf varieties of Papayas.