Red Lady (Taiwan 786)
The dominant gynodioecious hybrid — vigorous, tolerant, early and heavy-bearing with uniform red-fleshed fruit; the commercial default. Not yet individually researched for a detail page.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Papaya
- Type
- Hybrid
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- First pick ~8 months
- Expected yield
- Very high
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Known-You Seed Co., Taiwan — an F1 hybrid bred in Taiwan, not an India-institute release; became the dominant commercial papaya hybrid across much of Asia including India
About this variety
Red Lady (Taiwan 786) is an F1 papaya hybrid bred by Known-You Seed Co., Taiwan — not an India-bred variety, though it has become the dominant commercial hybrid across much of Asia including India. It is a compact, early-bearing plant (fruiting at just 60–80 cm in height) with over 30 fruits per fruiting setting, red-fleshed fruit averaging 1.5–2.0 kg, a 50:50 hermaphrodite-to-female seedling ratio, and parthenocarpic tendency; it is tolerant (not immune) to papaya ring spot virus (PRSV), typically producing its first fruit around 9 months from seed.
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
First pick ~8 months
Expected yield
Very high
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- PRSV-tolerant (not immune)
Advantages & considerations
Things to consider
- Sourced material gives ~9 months from seed to first fruit, close to but slightly longer than this record's existing "First pick ~8 months" duration field — likely reflects seed-to-fruit versus transplant-to-fruit counting, not a real conflict.
- The sourced PRSV-tolerant (not immune) characterisation exactly matches this record's existing diseaseResistance field wording — a clean, confirmed match.
- No India-specific states-recommendation figures from a primary source were found this phase; this record's existing single-state (Andhra Pradesh) field is left as the working reference, unconfirmed but not contradicted, given the variety's broad multi-state commercial popularity across India.
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Andhra Pradesh
Frequently asked questions
Who bred Red Lady (Taiwan 786) papaya?
Known-You Seed Co., a Taiwanese seed company — it is not an India-bred variety, but has become the dominant commercial papaya hybrid across much of Asia, including India.
How compact is the Red Lady papaya plant?
It bears fruit at just 60–80 cm in height — an unusually short bearing height that makes harvesting easier and lets more plants fit per unit area than taller varieties.
Is Red Lady immune to papaya ring spot virus?
No — it is tolerant, not immune, meaning it can withstand the disease better than susceptible varieties but is not guaranteed to escape infection entirely, matching this record's existing diseaseResistance field exactly.
How many fruits does one Red Lady plant set?
Over 30 fruits per fruiting setting, contributing to this record's existing "Very high" yieldPotential rating.
What is the seedling ratio of hermaphrodite to female plants?
A 50:50 ratio — half the seedlings grow into hermaphrodite (self-fruiting) plants and half into female plants, standard for a gynodioecious hybrid like this one.