Evaluación de la calidad y el rendimiento en papaya silvestre (Carica papaya L.) de Cuba

The papaya (Carica papaya L.), family Caricaceae, is native from American tropic and the most important in the gender Carica for its nutritious and industrial high value. In their origin areas wild relatives exist, that provide food to the communities that maintain them, could constitute an important source of revenues, because they possess useful genes to elevate the yield and nutritional quality of their fruits. The wild papaya populations' reference exists in our country. However, they have not still been characterized or evaluated with depth, so one ignores the yield and the quality of their fruits. The present study was carried out with the purpose of evaluating genotypes of wild papaya, prospected in the heights of the birth of the Basins Almendares-Vento and Northeast of Havana, through physical, chemical indicators and the yield, that allow to value their acceptance in the market. The results showed high yield and fruits with characteristics that allow them to be of great acceptance in the market for consumption in fresh for their mass, it forms, dimensions, soluble total solids and color of the shell and the pulp. Also, the appreciated characteristics favor their employment for futures programs of genetic improvement in Cuba, with the purpose of obtaining cultivares with high number of fruits of medium to small size for plant.