Papaya
Although mostly known for producing fruits, the different components of the papaya plant make it quite versatile. The ripe fruits have a variety of uses in both the domestic and commercial food industry. They are used in making fruit juices, jams, and even ice cream. The leaves and the unripe fruit are used as vegetables, while papaya seeds pass for appropriate salad dressing. Also, papain extract is used in catalyzing different processes. Even with all these uses, its simplistic appearance is quite deceiving and one may be tempted to think that growing it is easy. Contrary to this, a clear understanding of its dynamics is necessary to thrive in papaya farming. The papaya is a fast-growing plant. It doesn’t branch unless it is injured. It has a hollow, straight trunk that is cylindrical. Its leaves erupt from the upper part of the stem. Once they fall, they leave prominent scars on the trunk. Their flowering depends on the type of plants you have. The pistillate plants produce female flowers and require cross pollination to bear fruits. Staminate plants only produce male flowers and thus only produce pollen to pollinate the female flowers. With a hermaphrodite plant, they have both the male and female flower parts. They are, therefore, capable of self-pollination. Papayas come in different varieties, with some having a high propensity for bearing specific types of flowers. The Solo variety produces both male and female flowers 66 percent of the time. This means that approximately two out of three plants from the variety will produce fruits even when planted alone. Their fruits are quite sweet too. The fact that their fruits are mostly inbred results in the production of fruits that are uniform in shape and size. They also give a high yield, making them ideal for commercial production. Solo Sunrise takes nine months to mature once transplanted. It is especially known for its sweet fruits which come with a tough outer shell. This makes them appropriate for long-distance shipping. Their skin is smooth and the flesh is firm. Their seeds are easy to remove as they aren’t deeply indented. With these properties, Solo Sunrise is appropriate for large scale farming for both local and export purposes.
