Foliar Application of Nutrient Formulation to Enhance Growth and PRSV Tolerance in Commercial Varieties of Papaya

Abstract

Papaya is an important tropical fruit crop mainly cultivated for fresh fruit as well as papain production. Papaya ring spot virus (PRSV) is a major threat to papaya cultivation which results in severe yield loss. A field experiment was carried out to study the efficacy of a nutrient formulation on the growth attributes and PRSV incidence in commercial papaya varieties at HC&RI, TNAU, Coimbatore during 2022 -2023. The study involved two main plots viz., M1- TNAU Papaya CO 8 (dioecious variety) and M2- Red Lady (gynodioecious variety) and two sub plots viz., S1- Foliar spray of nutrient formulation at monthly interval (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th MAP) and S2- Control (without spray) with 13 replications in split plot design. The results revealed that improved growth attributes and lesser incidence of PRSV at flowering stage were registered in treatment with foliar application of nutrient formulation from 3rd to 7th MAP at monthly interval in both TNAU Papaya CO 8 and Red Lady when compared to their respective control and among the varieties TNAU Papaya CO 8 responded comparatively better than Red Lady.