Pusa Delicious
From IARI — dioecious, medium-large, deep-orange-fleshed fruit good for both the table and the processing trade, with true seed that breeds reasonably true if isolated.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Papaya
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- First harvest 10–11 months after planting
- Expected yield
- 600–700 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Bred at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, by continuous sibmating and selection — a conventional-breeding line, not a single named cross. Exact release year not confirmed by any source found; used as a parent line in TNAU's later CO.7 release.
About this variety
Pusa Delicious is a gynodioecious (bisexual-plus-female) papaya line bred at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, developed by continuous sibmating and selection through conventional breeding, per a directly-fetched Biotech Articles variety roundup — no exact release year or specific parentage cross could be confirmed by any source checked this pass. The same source describes it as a medium-tall, heavy-yielding plant (58–61 kg/plant), beginning to fruit at 70–80 cm plant height within roughly 260–270 days (about 8.5–9 months) of planting — somewhat earlier than this record's own 10–11-month first-harvest field. Fruit is medium-sized (1.5–2.0 kg), deep orange fleshed, with good sweetness (10–13° Brix TSS across sources) and excellent flavour. A directly-fetched official TNAU variety page independently confirms Pusa Delicious as one of four parent lines — alongside CO.3, CP.75 and Coorg Honey Dew — used across multiple crosses to breed the later TNAU release CO.7, underlining its standing as a widely used papaya breeding parent, not just a standalone table variety. A directly-fetched National Horticulture Board (NHB) project report lists Pusa Delicious, together with Pusa Nanha, among varieties grown in Karnataka, Kerala, Jharkhand and Odisha, in addition to this record's own listed states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
First harvest 10–11 months after planting
Expected yield
600–700 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
- Reported as a heavy yielder (58–61 kg/plant) with good sweetness (10–13° Brix) and deep orange, flavourful flesh — qualities strong enough that TNAU used it as one of four parent lines breeding its later CO.7 release
- Grown well beyond this record's own three listed states — a National Horticulture Board project report also lists it in Karnataka, Kerala, Jharkhand and Odisha, suggesting wider adaptability than the record's states field alone implies
Things to consider
- Sourced first-fruiting timing (about 260–270 days, roughly 8.5–9 months) runs somewhat earlier than this record's own 10–11-month first-harvest field — treat the record's figure as the more conservative estimate
- No source found this pass could confirm an exact release year or specific parentage cross for Pusa Delicious itself, despite it being well documented as a breeding parent for other varieties
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Uttar Pradesh
- Bihar
- West Bengal
Frequently asked questions
Is Pusa Delicious only grown in North India?
This record lists Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, but a National Horticulture Board project report also names Karnataka, Kerala, Jharkhand and Odisha as growing states — so its actual reach is wider than North/East India alone.
Why does TNAU's CO.7 papaya mention Pusa Delicious?
Pusa Delicious was used as one of four parent lines — with CO.3, CP.75 and Coorg Honey Dew — in the multiple crosses TNAU made to breed CO.7, a later, heavier-yielding release. It's both a standalone table variety and established breeding stock.
Sourced from: Varietal Wealth of Papaya in India — Biotech Articles, Horticulture :: TNAU :: Varieties :: Fruit crops-Papaya, PAPAYA — Model Project Report, National Horticulture Board. editorial policy.