Book Review: The Papaya – Botany, Production and Uses

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is well known as the third most widely produced tropical fruit worldwide after mango and pineapple. The global papaya production has grown significantly over the last few years, mainly as a result of increased production in India. Global sharing of information on papaya was advanced by the 1st International Papaya Symposium held at Genting Highlands, Malaysia, in 2005. This congress has been followed by regular symposia every 4 years in different papaya-producing countries. Since more than 100 years, numerous articles related to production and use of papaya fruits have been published in various scientific and popular journals. However, a comprehensive review that summarised these long-standing research results and findings in a suitable form has been lacking until now. So, it is a very important step that this first comprehensive book authorized by an international team of experts at the forefront of research covering all important aspects of botany, biotechnology, production, postharvest physiology and processing, is now available. The book starts by providing a detailed overview about the origin, history, valuable ingredients and processing of papaya fruits. Subsequent sections deal mainly with the taxonomy, propagation and breeding of papayas. Further on, the fruit formation, the ripening process, various plant diseases, greenhouse cultivation, optimal storage conditions and quality characteristics are discussed in detail on a high scientific level. As mentioned by the authors, today analysis of the papaya genome promises new, faster breeding techniques to obtain improved cultivars. These and other advances are helping to tackle diseases like papaya ring spot viruses and major pests which still cause significant losses. This book can be recommended without any reservation as an exciting and instructive information to a broad range of readers. Not only does it provide valuable support to professional groups such as plant breeders, farmers, plant physiologists, food technologists and chemists, but it also provides an excellent opportunity for interested laypeople to obtain comprehensive information on the current state of knowledge of this important tropical fruit. A number of scientific articles are listed in each annex of the 16 sections, allowing readers to obtain more detailed information on the individual topics. Bibliography: Sisir Mitra, The Papaya – Botany, Production and Uses, CAB International 2020, 269 pages includes bibliographical references and index, price: 113,27 €, ISBN-13: 9781789241907 (hardback), ISBN 9781789241914 (ePDF), ISBN 9781789241921 (ePub)