The Papaya

Papaya (Carica papaya) is an important and widely-cultivated tropical fruit, grown in more than 60 countries of the world. Global papaya production has grown significantly over the last few years, mainly as a result of increased production in India. Papaya has become an important agricultural export for developing countries where export revenues of the fruit provide a livelihood for thousands of people, especially in Asia and Latin America. This book includes coverage of recent research developments with the potential to improve crop yields and quality. New research has contributed to our understanding of the crop environment, plant growth and physiology of tree and fruit development with implications for both breeding and cultivation. It looks at how analysis of the papaya genome promises new, faster breeding techniques to improved cultivars and how these and other advances are helping to tackle disease like papaya ring spot viruses and major pests which cause significant losses. Key features include: updated information for sustainable papaya cultivation research developments in tackling the major production and post-harvest problems interdisciplinary and collaborative research With contributions from international experts, the book presents the current state of knowledge concerning the history, physiology, culture and marketing of papaya throughout the world. It is an essential resource for researchers, growers and all those involved in the papaya industry.

Sisir Mitra worked at the Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur, West Bengal, India from 1980 until 2014. He served as Head, Department of Fruits and Orchard Management (1996-2000), Dean, Faculty of Horticulture (2007-2009) and Dean, Post Graduate Studies (2009-2012). Dr Mitra did his post doctoral research (1985-1986) at the Horticulture Research International, East Malling, UK as Commonwealth Fellow and worked as visiting Professor at the Institute Coltivazoni Arboree, Italy (1990), and University of Lavras, Brazil (2016). He has published 266 scientific papers, 74 popular articles, 16 books, 1 IBPGR Descriptors and 28 technical reports. He has developed one coconut variety (Kalpa Mitra), two mango (Himsagar-HT 10 and Langra-LT 64 ) and three Jackfruit ( Jt-1, JT 39 and JT 40) clones. Dr Mitra served as Board Member responsible for publications of ISHS, Science Editor, ISHS and Editor-in-Chief, Fruits: The International Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Horticulture, Chairman, Editorial Advisory Board of Acta Horticulturae and Chronica Horticulturae. He is presently the Chairman, Working Group on Avocado, and Jackfruit and other Moraceae. Previously he was Chairman, Tropical and Subtropical Fruits. He is presently the Editor of CABI Concise series on 'Sustainable Horticulture for Nutritional Security and Economic Prosperity.'

He received a PhD from University of Hawaii, Department of Horticulture working on transgenic anthurium, an tropical ornamental. He has been working in National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Department of Plant Industry, while serving as the Dean of Agriculture College recent 3 years. He has worked on orchid tissue culture, biotechnology, breeding and development for years. I also served as field editor for Taiwan Society of Horticulture Science as well as Horticultural Journal of Japan in the field of floriculture and biotechnology.

Dr Víctor Galán Saúco is Research Professor (retired) at the Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias (ICIA), Spain where he was Head ofthe Tropical Fruit Department from 1980 to 2006. He has been President of the Spanish Society of Horticultural Science and was former Chair of the Section of Tropical Fruits and also Chair of the Mango Working Group of the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). He has acted as a consultant for organisations such as the FAO, EMBRAPA, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID) and the National Mango Board. Professor Galán Saúco is widely regarded as one of the world's leading experts on mangoes and has published widely on mangoes and other tropical fruits.

Dr Amalendu Ghosh is a Senior Scientist in Advanced Centre for Plant Virology at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. He joined the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in 2010 and has been serving at IARI since 2011. Dr Ghosh's research focuses on the interactions between insect vectors and plant viruses, particularly the transmission mechanisms of tospoviruses by thrips (Thrips palmi). He has demonstrated the use of RNA interference (RNAi), small peptides and antisense oligonucleotides to disrupt essential gene functions and inhibit virus transmission by thrips. His work also includes developing molecular diagnostic tools and exploring gene editing techniques to disrupt vector competence. Dr Ghosh has received several prestigious awards, including the INSA Medal for Young Scientists (2022), Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowship (2022), and the Endeavour Research Fellowship (2015). He has published over 80 research articles. Additionally, Dr Ghosh has held visiting positions at the University of Queensland, Australia, and Washington State University, USA, where he conducted research on gene editing in insect vectors. He is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (FRES), UK and the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS), India.

Doctor Huang did his undergraduate studies at Dayeh University in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, and his master's at the Institute of Biotechnology of the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST), also in Taiwan. He completed his doctoral studies at the Department of Plant Industry, NPUST, where he worked alongside Professor FC Chen on the molecular analysis of Phalaenopsis big lip mutants, as well as genomic and transcriptomic studies on the development of flower organs and flowering regulation, also in Phalaenopsis. He did postdoctoral studies on gene editing and transformation at the National Taiwan University in Taipei. He is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Plant Industry at NPUST and leads a team focused on biotechnology, plant breeding, and micropropagation of orchids and other ornamental plants.