Wild genotypes of Carica papaya as a strategic resource for product diversification and agro-industrial competitiveness: a genetic, bioactive and agronomic approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20474642Keywords:
Carica papaya, wild genotypes, genetic diversity, agro-industry and bioactive compoundsAbstract
Wild genotypes of Carica papaya have great potential to diversify products and enhance competitiveness in the agroindustry. This research focuses on the genetic diversity, bioactive compounds, and agricultural practices of these genotypes and how they can contribute to the growth of the food industry. A review of 14 relevant scientific articles was conducted and organized through a qualitative analysis. The results show that wild populations exhibit greater genetic diversity than commercial cultivars, making them a key resource for breeding programs aimed at increasing yield, fruit quality, and resistance to diverse conditions. In addition, a high concentration of bioactive compounds—such as carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamins, and enzymes—was identified in different parts of the plant, creating opportunities for the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. The study also highlights the use of advanced biotechnological tools, such as genomic selection and genetic editing, to exploit these resources and support more sustainable agricultural practices. The valorization of agro-industrial by-products is considered an important component of circular economy strategies. In conclusion, integrating wild genotypes into productive chains and innovation programs can promote more sustainable development and improve competitiveness in the papaya industry.
References
Abdel-Hay, M., Farooq, A., y Kamran, F. (2022). Papaya Wastes and By-Products. En Handbook of Fruit Wastes and By-Products (pp. 175–192). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003164463-12
Alarcón Pulido, S. A., Hernández Sánchez, M. de L. L., González Cárdenas, J. C., Enríquez García, F., y Velázquez García, E. P. (2022). Producción y manejo del cultivo de papaya (Carica papaya L.). Revista Biológico Agropecuaria Tuxpan, 10(1), 164–169. https://doi.org/10.47808/revistabioagro.v10i1.414
Allendorf, F. W., Luikart, G., & Aitken, S. (2012). Conservation and the genetics of populations.
Álvarez-Hernández, J. C., Castellanos-Ramos, J. Z., & Aguirre-Mancilla, C. L. (2024). Productivity of grafted papaya growing under open environment in the Mexican pacific. Folia Horticulturae, 36(3), 415–424. https://doi.org/10.2478/fhort-2024-0026
Batta, S., Sharma, V., Thakur, P., & Gupta, R. (2025a). Papaya Biowaste Valorization. En Biorefining Fruit Waste (pp. 297–324). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394301256.ch12
Batta, S., Sharma, V., Thakur, P., & Gupta, R. (2025b). Papaya Biowaste Valorization. En Biorefining Fruit Waste (pp. 297–324). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394301256.ch12
Choudhury, S., Islam, N., Mustaki, S., Uddain, J., Azad, O., Choi, K., & Naznin, M. (2022). Evaluation of the Different Low-Tech Protective Cultivation Approaches to Improve Yield and Phytochemical Accumulation of Papaya (Carica papaya L.) in Bangladesh. horticultura.
Copeland, R. G. R., Bar, I., Prasad, S. H., Mir, R. R., Garg, V., Henry, R., Ming, R., & Varshney, R. K. (2025). Harnessing novel genomic resources and emerging breeding tools to fast-track genetic improvement in papaya. Horticultural Plant Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hpj.2025.06.001
Das, U., & Prasad, S. S. (2024). Papaya Waste as a Nutraceuticals Product. En Nutraceuticals from Fruit and Vegetable Waste (pp. 425–439). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119803980.ch16
Delgado, B. Z. S., Cruz, L. B., Hernández, C. E., Vargas, A. D., Damian, N. A., & Palemón, A. F. (2016). Evaluación morfológica de diferentes genotipos silvestres y cultivadas de Carica papaya L. en el estado de Guerrero, México. Tlamati, 7(1), 27-30.
Elias, M. J., Hasley, J., Tian, M., & Christopher, D. A. (2023). Development of a Mesophyll Protoplast-Based System for Gene Editing of Papaya. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant, 59(5), 517–535. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11627-023-10373-1
Esther, I., & Rojop, J. (2023). Carica papaya: una planta con efecto terapéutico.
Farfán, J. N., Farfán, N., Pesqueira, C., Briuolo, W., Fernández, C., Gómez, Á., Montes, S., Del, M., & Rosas, S. (2017). Informe final* del Proyecto WQ003 Análisis para la determinación de los centros de origen y diversidad genética de Carica papaya (Caricaceae)* Responsable: Forma de citar** el informe final y otros resultados. www.conabio.gob.mx
Flores-Hernández, L. A., Otero-Sánchez, M. A., Marín-Montes, I. M., Sabino-López, J. E., & Vélez-Torres, M. (2024). Papaya genetic resources in Mexico and their conservation for genetic improvement. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agricolas, 15(8). https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v15i8.3678
Hamim, I., Borth, W. B., Marquez, J., Green, J. C., Melzer, M. J., & Hu, J. S. (2018). Transgene-mediated resistance to Papaya ringspot virus: challenges and solutions. Phytoparasitica, 46(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-017-0636-4
Hasley, J., Dinulong, R.-J., Adhikari, A., Christopher, D., & Tian, M. (2025). Genome Editing of Papaya Using Both Cas9 and Cas12a. Tropical Plant Biology, 18(1), 74. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12042-025-09441-0
Jiao, M., Liu, C., Prieto, M. A., Lu, X., Wu, W., Sun, J., García-Oliveira, P., Tang, X., Xiao, J., Simal-Gandara, J., Hu, D., & Li, N. (2023). Biological Functions and Utilization of Different Part of the Papaya: A Review. Food Reviews International, 39(9), 6781–6804. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2022.2124415
Jyotika, R. K., Harish, S., Karthikeyan, G., Kumar, K. K., Murugan, M., Jayakanthan, M., & Chen, T.-C. (2024). Molecular approaches for the management of papaya ringspot virus infecting papaya: a comprehensive review. Molecular Biology Reports, 51(1), 981. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-024-09920-9
kumarasinghe, H. S., Kim, J.-H., Kim, S.-L., Kim, K. C., Perera, R. M. T. D., Kim, S.-C., & Lee, D.-S. (2024). Bioactive constituents from Carica papaya fruit: implications for drug discovery and pharmacological applications. Applied Biological Chemistry, 67(1), 103. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13765-024-00962-y
Kumari, R., Ghani, M., Sharma, H., Thakur, N., Dhiman, K., Thakur, A., Thakur, K., & Sharma, D. (2024). Genomic Selection for Quantitative Disease Resistance in Plants. En Biotechnological Advances for Disease Tolerance in Plants (pp. 47–71). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8874-7_3
Lara-Abia, S., Lobo-Rodrigo, G., Welti-Chanes, J., & Cano, M. P. (2021). Carotenoid and Carotenoid Ester Profile and Their Deposition in Plastids in Fruits of New Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Varieties from the Canary Islands. Foods, 10(2), 434. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10020434
Laurora, A., Bingham, J.-P., Poojary, M. M., Wall, M. M., & Ho, K. K. H. Y. (2021). Carotenoid composition and bioaccessibility of papaya cultivars from Hawaii. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 101, 103984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2021.103984
Mariela, V. aacute zquez C. oacute n, Javier, O. M. C. eacute s, Manuel, J. Z. L., L, F. S. aacute nchez T., Adriana, Q. M., Matilde, M. O. G., Fernando, A. C. M., Francisco, E. G., Gabriela, F. O., & Jorge, M. S. iacute a. (2016). Genetic characterization by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers and morphochemical traits of Carica papaya L. genotypes. African Journal of Biotechnology, 15(21), 948–959. https://doi.org/10.5897/ajb2014.13990
Misnan, N. M., Afzan, A., Omar, M. H., & Low, K. H. (2024). Flavonoid Variability in Carica papaya L. var. Sekaki Leaf Maturation and Its Association With Sexual Differentiation Using Targeted Metabolomics. Natural Product Communications, 19(7). https://doi.org/10.1177/1934578X241260175
Oliver‐Simancas, R., Labrador‐Fernández, L., Abellán‐Diéguez, C., García‐Villegas, A., Del Caro, A., Leyva‐Jimenez, F. J., & Alañón, M. E. (2024). Valorization applications of pineapple and papaya byproducts in food industry. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.13359
Ovando-Martínez, M., & González-Aguilar, G. A. (2020). Papaya. En Nutritional Composition and Antioxidant Properties of Fruits and Vegetables (pp. 499–513). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812780-3.00031-3
Ramírez, M. A., Arbeláez, M. P., Decano, M., Carlos, J., Pérez, A., Ligia, D., & Corrales García, L. (2016). DETERMINACIÓN DE LOS COMPUESTOS FENÓLICOS TOTALES Y ACTIVIDAD ANTIOXIDANTE EN RESIDUOS DE FRUTO DE PAPAYA (Carica papaya). 70–73. http://aprendeenlinea.udea.edu.co/revistas/index.php/vitae
Rodríguez, C., & Saúco, G. (2004). TECNICAS DE CULTIVO DE LA PAPAYA (Carica papaya L.) EN CANARIAS.
Rodríguez Cabello, J., Díaz Hernández, Y., Pérez González, A., Natali Cruz Pedro Rodríguez Hernández, Z., Jesús Rodríguez Cabello, M., Investigador, A., Científica, R., Zulma Natali Cruz, M., & vinculada DrC Pedro Rodríguez Hernández, E. (2014). Evaluation of quality and yield in papaya wild (Carica papaya L.) from Cuba. En Cultivos Tropicales (Vol. 35, Número 3). http://ediciones.inca.edu.cu
Rodríguez Cabello Jesús, Díaz Hernández Yusnier, Pérez González Aymara, R. Fundora Luis, & Rodríguez Hernández Pedro. (2015). ANÁLISIS DEL CRECIMIENTO DE UN GENOTIPO SILVESTRE DE Carica papaya L. CULTIVADO EX SITU Y CV. `MARADOL ROJA´. 36, 96–105. http://scielo.sld.cu/pdf/ctr/v36n3/ctr15315.pdf
Senthilkumaran, J., & Shalini, N. (2014). Una descripción general de Carica papaya y sus usos medicinales.
Shaheen, S., Galanakis, C. M., & Farag, M. A. (2023a). Carica papaya biowaste valorization: Biorefinery advances and extraction optimization. Food Reviews International, 39(7), 4745–4760. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2022.2057527
Shaheen, S., Galanakis, C. M., & Farag, M. A. (2023b). Carica papaya biowaste valorization: Biorefinery advances and extraction optimization. Food Reviews International, 39(7), 4745–4760. https://doi.org/10.1080/87559129.2022.2057527
Suárez--Quiroz, M., Alberto, J., & laa Cruz--Medina, de. (2013). Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnología Postcosecha. Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnología Postcosecha, 14(2), 115–124. http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=81329290004
TTorres R. (1976). Papaya (Vol. 4).
VVargas y Vargas, M. de L., Figueroa Brito, H., Tamayo Cortez, J. A., Toledo López, V. M., & Moo Huchin, V. M. (2019). Aprovechamiento de cáscaras de frutas: análisis nutricional y compuestos bioactivos. CIENCIA ergo sum, 26(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.30878/ces.v26n2a6
Vázquez Calderón, M., Zavala León, M. J., Contreras Martín, F. A., Espadas Y Gil, F., Navarrete Yabur, A., Sánchez Teyer, L. F., & Santamaría, J. M. (2014). New cultivars derived from crosses between commercial cultivar and a wild population of papaya rescued at its center of origin. Journal of Botany, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/829354
Villanueva-Jiménez, J. A., Osorio-Acosta, F., Hernández-Castro, E., Téliz-Ortiz, D., Avila Reséndiz, C., Abato-Zárate, M., Reyes-Pérez, N., Mora-Aguilera, A., Cano-Reyes, O., Reta-Mendiola, J. L., Cabrera-Mireles, H., & González-Munguía, M. V. (2019). Integrated management of papaya pests in Veracruz: Papaya ringspot virus , papaya mealybug and mites. Acta Horticulturae, (1250), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2019.1250.10
VVos, C., & Arancon, N. (2020). Soil and plant nutrient management and fruit production of papaya (Carica papaya ) in Keaau, Hawaii. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 43(3), 384–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2019.1677712
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ronald B. Muentes Rodríguez, José N. Pico Mendoza, Elvira B. Rodríguez Ríos

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
