CO 7
From TNAU Coimbatore — gynodioecious with a heavier per-hectare yield than Pusa Delicious, the release most south Indian commercial growers plant.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Papaya
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- First harvest 9–10 months after planting
- Expected yield
- 900–1,000 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- TNAU, Coimbatore — released 1997 per TNAU's own official variety page (a secondary, not-directly-fetched source states 1993; the official page's 1997 date is used here). Multi-parent cross of Pusa Delicious, CO.3, CP.75 and Coorg Honey Dew, purified over 4+ years.
About this variety
CO.7 (culture CP-81) is a gynodioecious papaya hybrid released by TNAU (Tamil Nadu Agricultural University), Coimbatore, bred through multiple crosses among four parent lines — Pusa Delicious, CO.3, CP.75 and Coorg Honey Dew — and purified over more than four years, per a directly-fetched official TNAU variety page. That page dates release to 1997 and reports oblong fruit with firm, attractive red flesh, 16.7° Brix TSS, 15.80% total sugar and 7.95 mg/100 g carotenoid content, 112.7 fruits/tree, and a 21-month economic duration; it also notes low incidence of stamen carpellody and no serious insect-pest problems, though — like other papaya varieties — it remains susceptible to foot rot, collar rot and powdery mildew, which sits alongside rather than confirms this record's own diseaseResistance field (moderate ring-spot-virus tolerance only, no mention of the fungal/bacterial risks). A second, separately-fetched TNAU page instead states a 200–225 t/ha yield range for CO.7, while the first page's per-tree figure works out to a considerably higher 340.9 t/ha (stated as 45.96% more than CO.3) — TNAU's own two pages disagree with each other on this number, so both are reported here rather than picked; either way, both TNAU-sourced figures run well above this record's own 900–1,000 q/ha (90–100 t/ha) yieldPotential field. A separate, not-directly-fetched secondary source states a 1993 release year rather than 1997 — the directly-fetched official TNAU page's 1997 date is treated as the more reliable figure here.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
First harvest 9–10 months after planting
Expected yield
900–1,000 q/ha
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Notably high TSS (16.7° Brix) and total sugar (15.80%) with firm, attractive red flesh — a strong table-quality profile
- TNAU's own trial data credits it with 45.96% higher yield than its predecessor CO.3, and both directly-fetched TNAU pages put its yield well above this record's own conservative yieldPotential field
- Low incidence of stamen carpellody (a common papaya fruit-set defect) and no serious insect-pest problems reported, per TNAU's own variety page
Things to consider
- Both directly-fetched TNAU pages put CO.7's yield well above this record's own 900–1,000 q/ha field (200–225 t/ha on one page, 340.9 t/ha on the other) — and disagree with each other besides — so treat the record's figure as a conservative planning estimate, not a ceiling
- A secondary, not-directly-fetched source states a 1993 release year against the directly-fetched official TNAU page's 1997 — the 1997 figure is used here as the better-sourced one
- TNAU's own page confirms susceptibility to foot rot, collar rot and powdery mildew — this record's diseaseResistance field only mentions ring-spot-virus tolerance, so treat that field as a partial picture rather than a complete one
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Tamil Nadu
- Andhra Pradesh
- Karnataka
Frequently asked questions
What does 'CO' stand for in CO.7 papaya, and where was it bred?
CO stands for Coimbatore — CO.7 is one of a numbered series of papaya varieties released by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University's Coimbatore centre. It was bred through multiple crosses among Pusa Delicious, CO.3, CP.75 and Coorg Honey Dew.
How much does CO.7 actually yield?
TNAU's own published figures vary — one official page states 200–225 t/ha, another puts a per-tree calculation at 340.9 t/ha. Both are well above this record's own 900–1,000 q/ha (90–100 t/ha) field, so treat this record's number as a conservative planning estimate rather than a ceiling.
Sourced from: Horticulture :: TNAU :: Varieties :: Fruit crops-Papaya, Horticulture :: Fruits:: Papaya — TNAU Agritech Portal. editorial policy.