Papaya Seedling Growth Affected by Sarcotesta and Time of Sowing

Propagation of papaya is commercially done only through seeds. Now a day farmers are growing papaya as a main crop which was in place of intercrop with other main crops in orchards. With the commercialization of papaya cultivation, the demand for quality seeds of well-established varieties has increased especially for the gynodioecious varieties which are very much famous among farmers and whose cost is very high. Poor seed handling is known to affect germination, seedling emergence, poor or low seedling vigour and sometimes even total failure of seedlings with attendant low yield and quality. Seedling vigour is affected by many factors like seed quality and treatments, type of substrate used, environmental conditions, etc. Some of the problems faced by papaya growers are slow and erratic germination of papaya and high seedling mortality. The quality of seedlings obtained from a nursery influences the field's establishment and an orchard's productivity. Plant vigour depends on the seedling vigour. Therefore, attention has to be given for proper seed germination and seedling growth for successful seedling production under the nursery technique of papaya cultivation.