Abstract
A wealth of plant species used by humans for different purposes, but mainly as food, originated and domesticated in the Mesoamerican region. Papaya (Carica papaya) is the third most cultivated tropical crop worldwide, and it has been hypothesized that Mesoamerica is the most likely center of its origin and domestication. In support of it, many wild populations of papaya occur throughout Mesoamerica and hence represent the gene pool of genetic variability for further evolution and future crop management. Despite its importance, a dearth of information exists regarding the status of wild populations of papaya, as compared to the extent of knowledge, and interest, on domesticated varieties. We review the evidence on the extant wild populations of papaya, as well as its origin and distribution. Also, we synthetize what is known on the domestication history of the species, including the domestication syndrome that distinguishes wild and domesticated papayas. Moreover, we make an account of the use of genetic markers to assess genetic diversity of wild and domesticated papaya, and discuss the importance of papaya as the first species with a transgenic cultivar to be released for human consumption, and one that has its complete genome sequenced. Evidence from different disciplines strongly suggest that papaya originated and was domesticated in Mesoamerica, and that wild populations in the region possess, still, high genetic diversity compared to the domesticated papaya. Finally, we outline papaya as an excellent model species for genomic studies that will help gain insight into the domestication process and improvement of papaya and other tropical crops.
Highlights
Reviewed by: Shabir Hussain Wani, Michigan State University, United States Joao Paulo Fabi, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Papaya (Carica papaya) is the third most cultivated tropical crop worldwide, and it has been hypothesized that Mesoamerica is the most likely center of its origin and domestication
We review the evidence on the extant wild populations of papaya, as well as its origin and distribution
Summary
Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a fast-growing, short-lived, tropical tree, cultivated for its fruit, papain, pectin, and antibacterial substances (Niklas and Marler, 2007). Nowadays papaya is grown widely in tropical and subtropical lowland regions around the world, and the trade amounted nearly $200,000 million dollars by 2009 (Evans and Ballen, 2012). Carica papaya is a member of the Caricaceae family and is the most economically important species in the family (Carvalho and Renner, 2012). C. papaya is the only member of the genus after its rehabilitation from the Vasconcella group which was considered part of the genus Carica, until the year 2000 (Badillo, 2000). The Caricaceae family originated in Africa where two extant species occur. The dispersal to Central America from Africa occurred ca. 35 million years ago (MYA), possibly by floating vegetation carried by ocean currents (Carvalho and Renner, 2012) The dispersal to Central America from Africa occurred ca. 35 million years ago (MYA), possibly by floating vegetation carried by ocean currents (Carvalho and Renner, 2012)
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