Breeding of a new papaya cultivar Zihui with good quality and high yield

Abstract: Zihui is a new top-quality and high-yield papaya cultivar, which was selected from the first hybrid with Taiguohong as the female parent and the small- fruit Hawaiian type GZ201301301 as the male parent in 2021. Through artificial pollination in 2016, 358 hybrid seeds and 296 seedlings were got. It was initially selected in 2017 for its fast growth rate, strong growth vigor, low fruit-bearing position, strong continuous fruit-bearing capacity, smooth peel, good fruit shape, high yield and good quality. The clone seedlings were obtained by grafting and tissue culture with its lateral buds after the stem was cut off. After variety test and regional adaptability test at 3 sites (including Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhanjiang) over 3 years from 2018 to 2020, it was finally selected in 2020, and certificated by the Crop Varieties Certification Committee of Guangdong Province in 2021. The plant grows vigorously, showing as 290 cm in crown width, 195 cm in plant height from ground to apical meristem, 45 cm in stem circumference, 90 cm in leaf length, 93 cm in leaf width and 102 cm in dark purple petiole. The inflorescence has multi-flower properties, and the main axis of the inflorescence is dark purple, with an average length of about 7.5 cm. The corolla is purple, and the length is about 3.4 cm. Fruit shape is oblong oval, with an obvious purple circular mark on the fruit base. The average single fruit weight is 1 142.7 g, with an average longitudinal diameter of 21.4 cm, a transverse diameter of 10.8 cm, and the ratio of 1.98. The peel is smooth and orange yellow after ripening. The flesh is of good quality, with orange-red color,