Malaysian Carica papaya L. var. Eksotika: Current Research Strategies Fronting Challenges.

Rogayah Sekeli,Janna Ong-Abdullah,Roslinda A Razak,Muhammad Hanam Hamid,Chien-Yeong Wee

doi:10.3389/fpls.2018.01380

Abstract

Carica papaya L. or commonly known as papaya, is a major tropical crop consumed worldwide either as a vegetable or fresh fruit or processed products. In Malaysia, papaya was initially planted as a smallholder crop throughout the country. Eventually after 15 years of breeding and selection, a new variety, named C. papaya L. var. Eksotika, was released by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) in 1987. This event changed the outlook of papaya planting from a smallholder crop to a plantation crop. Despite the blooming papaya business, the industry faced various disease issues that jeopardize its future. The most devastating was the papaya dieback disease, which affected approximately 800 hectares of plantation, destroyed approximately 1 million trees nationwide with total losses estimated at US$ 58 million. Even though Eksotika is a favored commercial variety with good eating and aesthetic quality fruit, its potential for more lucrative distant markets is tarnished with its short-shelf life fruits. Several strategies had been reported to address the challenges faced by Eksotika specifically against the dieback disease and the fruit’s short shelf-life. This review focuses on C. papaya L. var. Eksotika particularly on the strategies to address the challenges faced in order to sustain the economic value of this crop plant, which had contributed significantly to the Malaysian economy.

Highlights

Carica papaya L., commonly known as papaya, papaw or pawpaw, and Mamao, is one of the major tropical crops consumed worldwide either as a vegetable or fresh fruit or processed products like jam, preserved and canned
This study proved that reduction of ethylene production in Eksotika papaya by manipulating the acid oxidase 2 (ACO2) gene using antisense technique successfully delayed the ripening and increased the fruit shelf-life (Sekeli, 2014)
We are in the era of a technological revolution that is transforming our lifestyles at an exponential pace, transcending the boundaries that separate the physical, digital, and biological spheres

Summary

Introduction

Carica papaya L., commonly known as papaya, papaw or pawpaw (in Australia), and Mamao (in Brazil), is one of the major tropical crops consumed worldwide either as a vegetable or fresh fruit or processed products like jam, preserved and canned. From how it was derived, the challenges it faced, the used of transformation technology to enhance the quality of the fruits and plant, and potential -omics strategies to address ongoing challenges in order to sustain the economic value of this crop plant. Another critical issue faced by the Malaysian papaya industry causing major postharvest losses is the short shelf-life of the fruit.

Results

Conclusion