Key Cultivation Techniques and Planting Management Methods for Papaya
Papaya is a perennial deciduous shrub or small tree of the genus Chaenomeles in the rose family. It is mainly distributed in East China as well as Hubei, Jiangxi and other places, and is also cultivated in Henan and Hebei. Papaya is used both as food and medicine, mainly for medicinal purposes. The mature fruit of papaya is used as medicine; it is sour, astringent and warm in nature, and contains saponins, flavonoids, malic acid, tartaric acid, citric...
Papaya is a perennial deciduous shrub or small tree of the genus Chaenomeles in the rose family. It is mainly distributed in East China as well as Hubei, Jiangxi and other places, and is also cultivated in Henan and Hebei. Papaya is used both as food and medicine, mainly for medicinal purposes. The mature fruit of papaya is used as medicine; it is sour, astringent and warm in nature, and contains saponins, flavonoids, malic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid and vitamin C among many other components. It can relax the muscles and stimulate blood circulation, and harmonize the stomach and resolve dampness. It is mainly used to treat rheumatism, joint pain, soreness and aching of the waist and legs, as well as vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and limb cramps. There are many kinds of medicinal liquor brewed with papaya as a raw material in China. They have excellent effects in relaxing muscles and stimulating blood circulation and in strengthening the body and bones, and are very good popular health drinks.
Papaya is drought-tolerant and barren-tolerant, and has little requirement for soil. It is highly adaptable in mountainous areas and suitable for cultivation on slopes, and is often selected as an excellent tree species for returning farmland to forest. For cultivating papaya, it is best to choose warm, sunny, fertile, moist, loose and well-drained land at the foot of mountain slopes.
1. Seedling raising. Either seed propagation or cuttings propagation can be used. For seed propagation, new seeds from the previous year should be selected. Generally, sowing is done in spring from March to April. After sowing, cover with grass to preserve moisture, and seedlings emerge in 40-50 days. After emergence, strengthen topdressing and weeding management, cultivate in the nursery for 2-3 years, and leave the nursery when the seedlings are more than 1 m tall. For cuttings propagation, in February to March before the papaya branches sprout, cut robust and plump 1-year-old branches into 20 cm cuttings, insert them obliquely into the seedling bed, cover with a shade net and spray water frequently to keep them moist. After new roots grow, move them to the nursery field and cultivate for 2 years before leaving the nursery.
2. Orchard establishment. It is best to dig holes in the autumn of the previous year, with a hole spacing of 2 m and a hole diameter and height of more than 80 cm. Mix the fertile and loose mature soil around the hole evenly with superphosphate (0.5 kg per hole) and backfill it into the hole. Pile the raw soil dug out of the hole around the hole, and use the alternating freezing and thawing in winter to promote its maturation. Planting is best done in spring when the branches sprout, with 1-2 seedlings planted per hole. When planting the seedlings into the hole, the root system must be spread out, the roots should be covered tightly with fine soil, and the soil should be pressed firm, then water thoroughly, and after the water seeps in, backfill new soil to close the hole.
3. Field management. After papaya planting, it is best to immediately spray the closed-type chemical herbicide Henaishi or Duer on the tree disk, then cover with plastic film to preserve heat and moisture, which can reduce weeding labor, increase the survival rate and speed up papaya growth. Otherwise, intertillage and weeding of the tree disk should be carried out in spring. In the first two years after papaya planting, dwarf peas can be intercropped between rows in winter, and soybeans (4481,14.00,0.31%), mung beans or perennial small medicinal herbs can be intercropped in summer. After papaya planting, topdressing or foliar spraying should be carried out on the tree disk in spring and autumn to promote robust plant growth. In the first 2-3 years after planting, before winter, winter manure should also be applied as a topdressing and soil should be banked up to prevent cold.
4. Pruning. This is carried out during the dormant season from winter to early spring. Mainly cut off dead branches, diseased branches, aging branches and overly dense branches, so that the whole tree shape is hollow inside and round outside, so as to facilitate more flowering and more fruiting. If the tree is aging, the old tree needs to be cut down and renewed for rejuvenation.
5. Pest and disease control. The main papaya disease is damping-off, with the most severe incidence from July to August. At the initial stage of the disease, brown spots appear on the leaves, then expand into dark brown, and in severe cases the leaf surface is covered with diseased spots, causing the leaves to die. When this disease occurs, "Luruitong" can be sprayed during the growing season for control, and at the same time do a good job of winter orchard clearing and disinfection. The main insect pests are fruit borers, cabbage caterpillars, aphids, etc. After they occur, insecticides such as "Juru" emulsifiable concentrate and "Gongfu" emulsifiable concentrate can be sprayed for control. If longhorn beetles are found, adults can be caught manually, and for larvae, a cotton swab dipped in undiluted dichlorvos can be inserted into the bore hole, and the hole sealed with yellow mud to poison the larvae.
Under good cultivation conditions, papaya can bloom and bear fruit in 3-5 years. Every year from July to August, when the fruit skin turns from green to yellow, harvest on a sunny day, and be careful not to let the fruit fall to the ground and be damaged when picking. If the fresh fruit brought back is to be used as medicine, cut it in half, put it into boiling water and boil for 5-10 minutes or steam for 10 minutes, then put it on a bamboo curtain to dry in the sun or dry by heat. For dried papaya, those with shrunken outer skin, firm texture, thick flesh, reddish wood color and sour taste are the best. If used for food, directly process by salting or sugaring.