Subject: Papaya pollination

From: Ed <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 20:11:56 -0700

I have both solo and Mexican papayas in bloom. However, the male papaya 
that I have blooming is perhaps 50 feet away from female plants in 
bloom. It is suggested that I catch the male pollen and transfer it to 
the female which is a hassel. I am wondering if bees, moths, wind, etc 
can be relied on from this distance to pollinate. Any experience about 
same will be appreciate. Thanks.

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From: [email-masked] (Pollinator)
Date: 27 Aug 1996 08:17:31 -0400

>same will be appreciate. Thanks.

   I have not had direct experience with papaya pollination (though I've
had bees near papayas in south Florida), so I turn to McGregor the
pollination "Bible,"  for more info:

   He notes that honeybees are "not particularly attracted to the flowers
on the pistillate plants...."   but notes that they will visit.  

   This makes me think it is a similar situation to kiwifruit, with which
I've had a lot of experience.  We do "saturation" pollination, by placing
strong hives at a rate of three or more per acre, to make sure the flowers
are repeatedly visited.

   He mentions sphinx moths as another possible pollinator, but does not
deal with it further. Honeybees are more easily managed.  Formerly
researchers thought wind was a factor in pollination, but that has been
disproved, by a test that covered flowers with a sixteen mesh-per-inch
screen to exclude insects from the flowers.  This almost completely
prevented pollination, as they got only two fruits per plant with an
average of only six seeds per fruit.  So wind, gravity, and insects small
enough to get through that screen, are not effective.

   He ends with a recommendation that growers of papaya should place
beehives in the groves as insurance of pollen transfer for maximum quality
fruit.  He does not recommend any particular rate.

   With just a couple plants you might just go ahead and hand pollinate. 
If you have more, you probably need to get bees.

   Growers often have a false assumption:  that a bee visits once, and a
fruit forms. With most fruits, this is not likely to produce high quality.

   General principle:  More bee visits=higher seed count=better fruit.

   I would also be interested in comments from folks who are directly
involved.  McGregor is over 20 years old, so I'm sure there is more recent
research.
I haven't time now, but I'll try to do an internet search for more.  You
might try the search engines.  Also might try Florida, California, and
Texas Extension sites.

[email-masked]    Dave Green,  PO Box 1200,  Hemingway,  SC
29554

Practical Pollination Home Page            Dave & Janice Green
http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html

[email-masked]                                   Dave and Janice Green
Practical Pollination Home Page    
http://users.aol.com/pollinator/polpage1.html  
PO Box 1200, Hemingway, SC    29554

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From: Ed <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 07:44:06 -0700

> PO Box 1200, Hemingway, SC    29554

Thank you very much for your input on pollination. I spend a lot of time 
in Baja Mexico and see a lot of solitary papayas which are loaded with 
fruit and can't see Mexicans hand pollinating!! Maybe they have an 
abundance of wild bees. One last question: Are hummingbirds effective in 
pollinating? They are numerous in that area as well as mine (So. 
California) and I encourage them by feeders. Thanks again.

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 01 Sep 96 17:12:19 GMT

> California) and I encourage them by feeders. Thanks again.

papaya polinattion

there is to kind of papaya, one type you don´t need pollinator and another you 
need.

In brazil for instance, there are a lot of papaya plantation and theris no need 
of pollinator, because there are self pollinator.

15 m of distance is nothing for  insects or bees. they can do better job than 
human even the dstance is higher

good luck with your papapya