Consideraciones sobre la utilización de diferentes densidades en el cultivo de papaya (Carica papaya, L.) 'Baixinho de Santa Amalia' en islas canarias

摘要

The growth of papaya plants under greenhouse conditions has recently become the norm in the Canary Islands. The use of "Baixinho de Santa Amalia" (a natural mutant of the "Sunrise" cultivar), which is a dwarf cultivar flowering early and not high up the plant, is the great interest, above all under these conditions. These phenological characteristic make possible the planting at higher densities than for other cultivars. This study has been carried out to determine the optimal planting density to permit greater production without reducing fruit quality. To this aim the yield, both of hermaphrodite and female plants, has been evaluated through two crop cycles, as well as studying the organoleptic characteristics, degree of carpellody and deformation of the fruits. The results suggest that the highest density provides better plant perfomance as well as higher fruit production and lower percentage of rejected fruit.