EFFECT OF APPLICATIONS OF PLANT-GROWTH REGULATORS TO PAPAYA ON THE OUTPUT AND PROTEOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF LATEX TAPPED FROM IMMATURE FRUITS

Pistillate seedling plants of the local cultivar of papaya 'Deshi', tr ansplanted 40 d after sowing, were sprayed with aqueous solutions of I BA (25 and 50 ppm), GA3 (100 and 200 ppm), kinetin (50 and 100 ppm), B A (25 and 50 ppm), ethephon (100 and 200 ppm) or with water (control) 100 d after transplanting, when the experimental fruits borne by them were 15 d old. Latex was collected from the fruits when they were 90-9 5 d old and continued on four occasions, at 7 d intervals. Highly sign ificant increases in yield and in protease activity of the latex over the control was obtained by application of ethephon. IBA and GA3 also increased latex production, but spraying the plants with kinetin or BA solutions gave no clear results.