ABSTRACT
The latex obtained from the fruit of Carica papaya L. (papaya) is of great industrial and pharmaceutical importance. Its obtainment, through the cultivation of this specie, depends on several factors still poorly studied. In this sense, this study aims to evaluate and compare hermaphrodite and female plants of C. papaya for the production of latex and its enzymatic activity in weekly and consecutive collections of fruits during the 12th month of cultivation (summer) and during the second year of the plant´s development, in three collections covering the other seasons (autumn, winter and spring). The results showed that, in four successive weekly tapping during the summer, the latex mass of the first collection was superior to the others, for female plants. Hermaphrodite plants had oscillating behavior for this variable. Female plants had higher production averages, compared with the hermaphrodites ones. The averages of the enzymatic activities of this period were higher for hermaphrodite plants. The seasonal tapping showed that hermaphrodite plants had oscillating behavior in the production of latex and enzyme activity. Female plants produced, on average, greater mass and were constant in latex production. In the evaluated seasons, similarities in the averages of the enzymatic activities between female and hermaphrodite plants were observed.
Keywords
papaya; latex; papain
