Papaya Varieties In Kenya:
Thinking of growing pawpaw in Kenya?
If that describes you, then you come to the right blogpost.
Here, I will explain in details the:
- The papaya varieties in Kenya,
- Their growth characteristics,
- and whether they are suitable for your farm
- Last but not least where to get the right papaya seed/ seedlings for your farm
Ready?
Let’s get started:
PawPaw Varieties in Kenya
To get us started, the following are the common pawpaw varieties grown in Kenya;
- Solo
- Vega F1
- Sunrise
- Mountain
- Red royale F1
- Sinta
- Papaya Hawaiian
Knowing the varieties in Kenya is just one part of the story.
Continue reading so that you know the unique features of each and why it could be suitable for you.
Solo Papaya Variety
“Why grow this variety? What are its advantages over the others? “You may ask.”
Well solo pawpaw happens to be the most popular papaya variety in Kenya.
When you visit the fresh produce markets of wakulima market, City market, parklands market, you’ll discover this is the most dominant variety.
So what makes solo papaya variety loved than all the rest?
I guess the following characteristics that make it the best for local Kenyan market and for export
- You are able to harvest up to 200 fruits a year from a single plant thus highly profitable.
- It takes 8 months to mature and start fruiting instead of 10 like other varieties. For this reason, you are able to start getting returns on investment faster.
- The papaya variety is highly resistant to diseases like anthracnose and pests like mealy bugs, thus you spend very little on fungicides and pesticides.
- This variety produces small round sweet fruits with uniform sizes and shape. It’s hermaphroditic and popular for both local and export markets.
Vega F1
Vega F1 is another popular papaya hybrid variety for the export market.
“Why Do exporters love this variety?”
You may ask.
- The papaya variety produces highly attractive red flesh medium sized firm fruits weighing 1-1.2kg.
- That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Vega F1 is a vigorous hybrid with high yield potential.
- It has a good fruit setting ability,
- And it matures within 8-9 months after transplanting.
- And when it comes to sweetness—it has a brix value of 12-14% making it ideal for juices, and other fruit preparations.
Sunrise
produces smooth pear shaped fruits of high quality, weighing about 400-650g. Flesh of fruits is reddish orange and the variety is high yielding.
Mountain
produces small fruits only suitable for preserves and jam.
Red Royale F1
This is an improved breed that gives good quality fruits weighing 1.7-2.3kgs which have red attractive color and are very sweet.
- A vigorous hybrid with evident dwarf plant habit
- Strong thick stems
- Good level of virus resistance
- Excellent setting ability
- Med-large size fruit with thick flesh
- Attractive red color and very sweet
- Maturity 8-9 months after planting
- Weight 1.7 – 2.3 kgs
Sinta F1
female fruits are round while hermaphrodite fruits are oblong with an average weight of 2kg. Flesh is deep yellow, firm and sweet.
- All plants bear fruits. Female fruits are round and hermaphrodite fruits are oblong
- Average fruit weight: approx. 2 Kgs
- Maturity: 270 days from transplanting
- Flesh is deep yellow, firm and sweet with 14% sugar content
- Plant habit: semi-dwarf
Can Papaya Grow in My Farm?
To answer this question, you have to understand the climatic needs of the papaya plant.
To start us off, let us examine the issue of …
Rainfall
Papaya is one of the most drought resistant plants available on this planet.
Nevertheless, papaya cannot withstand prolonged drought.
For the best returns and yields, an even distributed annual rainfall of above 1000mm is suitable.
In areas that receive low rainfall, consider adopting Irrigation.
Soils
The crop does well in light, well drained soils with PH 6-6.5 and rich in nutrients. Roots are very sensitive to water logging.
Temperature
Papaya thrives in warm to hot regions of temperature range of 20-35 degrees centigrade. Fruit is sweeter when grown during warm sunny season.
In good climatic conditions, fruits grow all year round.
Where to get papaya Seeds and Seedlings
In case you need any of the papaya seeds for the varieties above, contact Royal seed company Kenya.
To find which papaya varieties they sell, follow this link
Plantech Kenya also grow various papaya seedlings like the solo varieties.
