Relationships of Minimum Temperature and Growth Rate with Sex Expression of Papaya Plants (Carica papaya L.)

Abstract

Papaya plants of the Solo variety, derived from seeds whose plants were bearing uniformly few carpellodic flowers and fruits, were planted at three levels of elevations at the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station farms at Honolulu , Oahu (1OO-foot elevation), at Kainaliu, Hawaii (1,500-foot elevation), and at Makawao, Maui (2,1OO-foot elevation). Significantly greater percentages of carpellodic flowers (types 2 and 3) were produced by plants at either Kainaliu or Makawao over plants at Honolulu. These differences associated with locality must be primarily the result of differences in minimum temperature, since day-lengths are essentially the same at all localities. The data and statistical analyses indicate that the percentage of carpellodic flowers is significantly correlated with minimum temperature and growth rate of the plants.