J. Hortl. Sci.
Vol. 8(2):246-248, 2013

Short communication

Influence of organic practices on growth and fruit yield in papaya cv. Surya

Y.T.N. Reddy, Reju M. Kurian, A.N. Ganeshamurthy1, P. Pannerselvam1
and S.R. Shivu Prasad

Division of Fruit crops
Indian Institute of Horticultural Research

Hessaraghatta Lake Post, Bangalore-560 089, India
E-mail : nreddy@iihr.ernet.in

ABSTRACT
A field trial on organic practices in papaya cv. Surya was conducted during 2009-2011 with 10 nutrient combinations

involving farm yard manure, biofertilizers and VAM along with 100% recommended dose of fertilizers and no
manure/ fertilizer treatment. Vegetative parameters were recorded periodically. At 18 months after planting, plant
height, plant girth and number of leaves were found to be significant. Results indicated that, crop growth was better
with organic treatments compared to no manure/fertilizer treatment. Fruit yield and quality parameters were also
recorded. Fruit yield and average fruit weight were found to be significant. Maximum fruit yield of 32kg/plant (80 t/
ha) was recorded under 75% recommended dose of fertilizer applied as  farm yard manure+vermicompost, which was
significantly superior to that in 100% recommended dose of fertilizer for the 18-month cropping period.

Key words: Papaya, organic practices, fruit yield

1Division of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research

Organic farming is becoming increasingly popular,
with a rapidly growing global demand for organic products.
These offer considerable benefits over the conventional
farming systems, particularly, with respect to sustainable
yield, better quality and hazard-free produce.  Organic
practices, in the long run, improve organic carbon content
and, thereby, sustainable yields in addition to improvement
in quality. Shiva Kumar et al (2012) reported papaya yield
to increase by 10.2% in organic practices, compared to that
under 100% recommended dose of fertilizers. Organic
farming has been an outcome of the concerns over
increasing contamination of food and consequent negative
effects on human health. In general, excess use of fertilizers
causes environmental hazards with deleterious effects on
soil structure, soil microflora and quality of water besides
crop productivity in the long run (Anon., 1995). Fruits, often
eaten raw, are more vulnerable to contamination with
chemicals due to their residual toxicity compared to cereals
and pulses. Thus, organic production of fruits is becoming
particularly popular. However, in India, data on the exact
area of fruit crops under organic cultivation is not available.
Papaya farming has attained great popularity owing to the
quick returns, easy cultivation, adaptability to adverse soil
and climatic conditions and above all, delicious taste of its
wholesome fruit having multifarious uses. India ranks fourth
among papaya producing countries of the world by growing

the fruit crop in an area of 1.06 lakh hectares, with production
of 41.96 lakh tons (National Horticultural Board, 2011).
Nutritional requirement of the papaya plant is typical bacause
of a continuous growth behavior like vegetative, flowering
and fruiting habit. Papaya demands nutrients continuously
and in large amounts. Use of chemical fertilizers alone is
not feasible besides being costly to poor farmers. Since,
papaya bears fruits and flowers round the year, organic
production of papaya plays an important role. Papaya also
responds well to such production systems compared to other
perennial fruit crops.  Being shallow rooted, papaya readily
benefits from organic amendment and soil microflora which
play a major role in growth, and productivity and soil health.
Although use of insecticides and fungicides is relatively low
in papaya, nutrition management is important in this crop
due to its continuous growth and fruiting. In almost all the
states of India, area under papaya is increasing while limited
information is available on organic production. Therefore,
the present investigation assumes importance for adequately
marketing of organic papaya.

A field trial was conducted during 2009-2011 at the
experimental farm of Indian Institute of Horticultural
Research, Bangalore, located at a latitude of 130-58’N and
longitude of 78oE. The trial was laid out in land kept fallow
for three years. There were 12 treatments as follows:
T1–100% recommended dose of fertilizers applied as farm



247

Organic practices in papaya

yard manure+Vermicompost, T2–75% recommended dose
of fertilizers applied as farm yard manure+Vermicompost,
T3–50% recommended dose of fertilizers applied as farm
yard manure+Vermicompost, T4–100% recommended dose
of fertilizers applied as farm yard manure+Vermicompost
+Azospirillum+Mycorrhiza, T5–100% recommended dose
of fertilizers applied as farm yard manure+Vermicompost
+Azospirillum+Phosphate Solubalizing Bacteria, T6–75%
recommended dose of fertilizers applied as farm yard
manure+Vermicompost+Azospirillum+Mycorrhiza, T7-75%
recommended dose of fertilizers applied as  farm yard
m a n u r e + Ve r m i c o m p o s t + A z o s p i r i l l u m + P h o s p h a t e
Solubalizing Bacteria, T8–50% recommended dose of
fertilizers applied as farm yard manure+Vermicompost+
Azospirillum+Mycorrhiza, T9-50% recommended dose of
fertilizer applied as farm yard manure+Vermicompost+
Azospirillum+Phosphate Solubalizing Bacteria+Mycorrhiza,
T10-100% recommended dose of fertilizers, T11-50%
recommended dose of fertilizer applied as farmyard
manure+Azospirillum+Phosphate Solubalizing Bacteria+
Mycorrhiza+Vermicompost and T12-No manure/ fertilizer.
The 100% RDF is 250g N+ 250g P2O5 and 500g K2O/ plant/
year. Plants were spaced at 2m×2m with a planting density
of 2500/ha. Vermicompost was applied at the rate of 2kg/
plant/year in all the treatments before planting and again
after one year (except in no manure/fertilizer and 100%
recommended dose of fertilizers treatments). Vermicompost
contained 1.41% N, 0.299% P and 1.55% K. The trial was
laid out in Randomized Block Design, with four replications.
There were six plants/treatment and the plants were under
drip irrigation. The soil (red loam) had available N 100.5 kg/
ha, P2O5 36.8 kg/ha, K2O 205 kg/ha, at pH 6.8. Biofertilizers,
viz., Azospirullum, Mycorrhiza and Phosphate Solubalizing
Bacteria were applied at the rate of 50g/plant/year before
planting and again, after one year. The fertilizers were
applied four times a year for the treatment 100%
recommended dose of fertilizers. Nutrient content of organic
manures used in this experiment was: FYM with N 0.91%,
P 0.166% and K 0.88%, and, Vermicompost had N 1.41%,
P 0.299% and K 0.55%. Vegetative parameters were
recorded at six monthly intervals. Data in this study pertains
to 18 months after planting. Fruit yield was recorded in
different pickings of six plants/plot, and the mean fruit yield
was calculated.

Vegetative parameters

Different vegetative parameters such as plant height,
plant girth and number of leaves after 18 months of planting
were influenced by various nutrient treatments (Table 1).

Maximum plant height, plant girth and number of leaves
was recorded in treatment T3 (50% Recommended dose of
fertilizers applied as FYM), whereas (T-12: no manure or
fertilizer treatment) recorded minimum values for these
parameters. Shivakumar et al (2012), Ravishankar et al
(2008), Jaizma Vega et al (2006) and Pire and Aceveda
(2005) also reported increased growth in organic amendment
treatments which was attributed to enhanced physical,
chemical and biological characters of soil, creating a
favorable environment for development, would have which
resulted in better plant growth. Shardakhade and Rodrigues
(2009) reported that, in papaya cv. Surya, inoculation with
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi significantly increased all
the growth parameters viz., plant height, stem girth, leaf
area and root length.

Fruit yield

Fruit yield was found to be significantly influenced
by different treatments (Table 2). Maximum fruit yield
(31.9kg/plant and 79.7t/ha) was recorded in treatment T6
(75% RDF applied as FYM+Vermicompost+
Azospirillum+Mycorrhiza), and the least was recorded
in T-12:  no manure/fertilizer treatment. All organic
amendment treatments along with 100% RDF increased
fruit yield compared to no manure/ fertilizer treatment. This
can be attributed to better plant growth in organic treatment
amendments. This treatment also induced better plant

Table 1. Vegetative parameters in papaya cv.  Surya as influenced
by various organic treatments
Treatment Plant Plant No. of

height (m) girth (cm) leaves /plant
T1-100% RDF FYM + 3.53 51.0 45.0
Vermicompost
T2 -75% RDF FYM + 3.38 53.7 49.9
Vermicompost
T3 -50% RDF FYM + 3.54 54.5 43.5
Vermicompost
T4 - T1+AZO+Myco 3.15 54.1 43.0
T5 - T1+AZO+PSB 3.20 49.5 39.8
T6 -T2+AZO+Myco 3.13 52.3 32.9
T7 -T2+ AZO+PSB 3.15 52.9 31.5
T8-T3+AZO+Myco 3.22 50.3 30.9
T9-T3+AZO+PSB+Myco 3.47 45.9 26.6
T10-100% RDF 3.42 48.7 26.8
T11-50% RDF applied as 3.51 52.1 49.0
FYM+ AZO+ PSB+ Myco +
Vermicompost
T12- No manure/fertilizer 3.00 42.3 24.4
S.Em.± 0.14 2.1 2.5
CD (P=0.05) 0.41 6.2 7.4
*Significant at 5% level; AZO= Azospirillum sps.; Myco= Mycorrhiza;
PSB = Phosphate Sobubilizing Bacteria

J. Hortl. Sci.
Vol. 8(2):246-248, 2013



248

growth in terms of plant height and plant girth with resultant
increase in fruit yield, thereby being significantly superior to
100% RDF. Similar results were reported by Ravishankar
et al (2008) and Shivakumar et al (2012) in papaya cvs.
Coorg Honey Dew and Surya respectively.

REFERENCES
Anonymous. 1995. Supplementing nutrients through organics.

Agricultural Research Station, Sankeshwar
(Karnataka). Annual Report, pp 17-79

JaizmeVega, M.C., Rodriguez Romero, A.S. and Barroso
Nunez, L.A. 2006. Effect of the combined inoculation
of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant growth
promoting rhizobacteria on papaya (Carica papaya
L.) infected with the root-knot nematode
Meloidogyne incognita. Fruits Paris, 61:151-162

National Horticulture Board. 2011. Database 2011, Gurgaon,
India, p.103

Pire, R. and Acevedo, I. 2005. Effect of vermicompost as a
substrate amendment on pawpaw (Carica papaya
L.) nutrition. Proceedings of the Inter-American
Society for Tropical Horticulture, 48:97-100

Ravishankar, H., Karunakaran, G. and Srinivasamurthy, D.
2010. Performance of Coorg Honey Dew papaya
under organic farming regimes in the hill zone of
Karnataka. Acta Hort., 851:259-262

Shivakumar, B.S., Dharmatti, P.R. and Renukaswamy, N.S.
2012. Influence of organic manures and their
combination with FYM on fruit yield and economics
of papaya cultivation. Indian Hort. J., 2:13-15

Shardakhade, W. and Rodrigues, B.F. 2009. Studies on
arbuscular mycorrhization of papaya. African Crop
Sci. J., 17:155-165

(MS Received 25 July 2012, Revised 15 June 2013, Accepted 20 July 2013)

Table 2. Fruit yield as influenced by various organic treatments in
papaya cv. Surya
Treatment No. of Fruit yield Fruit

fruits/plant (kg/plant) yield (t/ha)
T1-100% RDF FYM + 60.9 22.2 55.5
Vermicompost
T2 -75% RDF FYM + 68.3 23.0 57.5
Vermicompost
T3 -50% RDF FYM + 64.4 21.5 53.7
Vermicompost
T4 - T1+AZO+Myco 59.3 18.9 47.2
T5 - T1+AZO+PSB 53.5 18.4 46.0
T6 -T2+AZO+Myco 68.4 31.9 79.7
T7 -T2+ AZO+PSB 64.5 24.1 60.2
T8-T3+AZO+Myco 65.6 21.8 54.5
T9-T3+AZO+PSB+Myco 62.3 20.0 50.0
T10-100% RDF 53.7 18.7 46.7
T11-50% RDF applied as 51.3 18.3 45.7
FYM+AZO+PSB+Myco+
Vermicompost
T12- No manure/fertilizer 49.2 13.6 34.0
S.Em.± 11.1 3.0 8.1
CD (P=0.05) NS 9.1 24.2
*Significant at 5% level; NS- Non-significant; AZO= Azospirillum sps.;
Myco= Mycorrhiza; PSB = Phosphate Sobubilizing Bacteria

Reddy et al

J. Hortl. Sci.
Vol. 8(2):246-248, 2013