TC Papaya: ‘THOMAS DELIGHT’
THOMAS DELIGHT’ is an exclusively micropropagated hermaphrodite papaya with the red red-flesh color selected from a bunch of elite bisexual field plants. This is the first time that such a hermaphrodite papaya line is micropropagated and supplied in this country. Tissue culture propagated Thomas Delight shows all productive plants with bisexual flowers and heavy bearing. It is suitable for table, latex/papain, vegetable & processing purposes.
The plant flowers in 4-6 months after the field planting and gives a continuous bunch of fruits. The fruits are oblong in shape, green initially and turning golden yellow at ripening. The first harvest is obtained about 120-130 days after flowering and fruit set which means about 8-10 months after the field planting. The plants are relatively vigorous and taller than ‘Dawn Delight’. A spacing of 7-8 ft x 8 ft is recommended which accommodates about 700-750 plants per acre. It prefers full sun lit conditions for good growth and performance. Under shaded conditions, the plants tend to grow taller and lanky.
The fruits at maturity weigh about 1-2 Kg. Harvest when 4-5 orange streaks appear on fruits.
