CABI PEST AND DISEASE PHOTOGUIDE TO

Papaya disorders
KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE
Introduction
This photo booklet has been produced
by the CABI-led Plantwise programme
(www.plantwise.org) to aid extension officers
and other plant health advisors in diagnosing
the most common pests, diseases and
abiotic problems of coffee around the world.
The symptoms presented on a real plant
sample can be compared with the photos
in this guide to identify possible causes.
The booklet is organized into two broad
sections, one showing the common insect
pests that attack the crop and the other
showing the various symptoms of poor health.
In the symptoms section, the images are
arranged by plant part, with similar-looking
symptoms displayed together. Some biotic
and abiotic factors cause more than one type
of symptom, so there may be multiple images
in different parts of the photo booklet for a
specific problem. The photos for a particular
problem are cross-referenced to make it easy
to find all the relevant photos.
Contents
Sign or symptom Box #

Insects and Mites 1–9

Leaf 10–16

Edible portion 17–32

Whole Plant 33–38

Root 39–41
 INSECT 1
Papaya Fruit Fly
Toxotrypana curvicauda

Photo: Jeffrey W. Lotz, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bugwood.org

• Very characteristic insect which lays its eggs through

the papaya fruit into hole in the middle of the fruit.
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• The maggots feed on the developing seeds and fruit

in the centre of the fruit.
• The mature maggot tunnels out of the fruit and pupates
in the soil.
• Infested fruits turn yellow and fall early.
 INSECT 25 2
Oriental Fruit Fly
Bactrocera dorsalis

Photo: USDA, Flickr

• Brown and yellow fly; slightly smaller than a housefly.

• Lays eggs below the skin of the fruit.
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• Larvae (maggots) hatch and feed inside the fruit almost immediatley.
• The fruit often falls off and the maggots leave the fruit to pupate
in the soil.
• This pest is not seasonal, it occurs continuously throughout the year
in many areas.
 INSECT 3
Citrus Mealybug
Planococcus citri

Photo: Charles Olsen, USDA APHIS PPQ Bugwood.org

• Adult female, pinky/white and covered in wax.

• Females suck sap and cause wilting, yellowing and stunting.
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• The honeydew they produce often leads to sooty mould.

• The little white fingers around the insect edge are more
obvious than on the Papaya Mealybug.
 INSECT 29 4
Papaya Mealybug
Paracoccus marginatus

Photo: United States National Collection of Scale Insects Photographs, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org

• Body yellow, covered with wax but this is not thick enough
to hide body colour.
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• Heavy infestations cause distortion of new growth, leaf

yellowing, leaf curl and early fall of fruit.
• The honeydew they produce often leads to sooty mould.
 INSECT 17 5
White Peach Scale
Pseudaulacaspis pentagona

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Males and females look quite different and both are pests.
• The adult female (shown) cannot move on the plant. Small,
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circular insect (up to 2mm diameter). Conical in shape there

is a darkened tip to the cone.
• Males are mobile and appear as tiny grains of rice.
 INSECT 18 6
Snow Scale
Unaspis citri

Photo: Lisa Ames, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

• The young (nymphs) are ‘crawlers’ because this is the dispersal

stage. Nymphs are oval and bright yellow in colour.
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• Nymphs form a waxy armour. The snow white armour of the

immature male is the reason for the name. The coat has three
long ridges; one prominent centre ridge, and one either side.
• Immature males are about 1 mm long.
 MITE 21 27 7
False Spider Mite
Brevipalpus phoenicis

Photo: Rayanne Lehman, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org

• Very small, flat reddish; moves around very quickly on

the surface of leaves or fruit. Hand lenses are needed.
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• Can create marks, scarring and sometimes a mosaic

on leaf and fruit skin.
• Reduces plant vigour and affects the taste of the fruit.
 INSECT 9 8
Fruit Piercing Moth
Eudocima fullonia and others

Photo: Arian Suresh, Flikr

• Not a pest of papaya and does not feed on papaya,

it is the adult form that is the pest.
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 INSECT 8 9
Fruit Piercing Moth
Eudocima fullonia and others

Photo: BRIJESH EP, Flickr

• Moths feed at night by piercing the skin of the ripe

or ripening fruit with their strong mouth parts.
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• Internal injury consists of a bruised, dry area beneath

the skin.
• Secondary rots develop at the feeding site.
• Secomdary-moth feeders often visit fermenting fruit,
using the holes the fruit piercing moths have made.
 MITE 10
Broad Mite
Polyphagotarsonemus latus

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Edges of damaged young leaves usually curl. The foilage

often becomes rigid and stiff, it appears brown (bronzed)
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or scorched.
• Leaves are very small and do not expand properly.
• Mites are too small to be seen even with a handlens.
 FUNGUS 28 11
Powdery Mildew
Oidium caricae

Photo: S Nelson, Flickr

• Lower leaf surfaces spotted with small water soaked yellow

dots that become powdery patches of fungus and spores;
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patches are usually near the veins and are more clearly seen
in humid conditions.
• Yellow patches later become necrotic (brown) and scorched;
leaves may curl and fall from trees early.
 VIRUS 12
Papaya Mosaic Virus
PaPMV

Photo: William M. Brown Jr.,Bugwood.org

• Symptoms of infection include mild leaf mosaic and stunting.

• No symptoms appear on leafstalks, stems or fruit.
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• Stunting is only obvious when healthy plants are present for

comparison this disease is considered of little importance.
 FUNGUS 22 13
Black Spot
Asperisporium caricae

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Lesions start as water soaked spots that become brown.

These develop into pale circular leaf spots up to 4 mm
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diameter often surrounded by a yellow ring.

• Young leaves are not attacked but severely damaged older
leaves fall off and up to half of the leaves can fall off causing
a reduced vigour.
• Disease is favoured by wind and rain for dispersal.
 FUNGUS 14
Corynespora Brown Spot
Corynespora cassiicola

Photo: Ecoport (http://ecoport.org): Landcare Ltd New Zealand

• Pale yellow lesions with brown centres on upper leaf surface,

1-2 mm in diameter but can join together into larger areas.
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• On lower leaf surface small light and water soaked brown

spots with yellow halo, turning necrotic.
• All lesions become brown and sunken with reddish margins;
spores are more apparent on lower surfaces.
• Lower leaves are particularly susceptible.
 VIRUS 23 34 15
Papaya Ringspot
Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV)

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Mottling and mosaic of leaves; leaf lobes are reduced,

giving a shoe-string apperance.
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• This distortion becomes more obvious as the disease

progresses.
• Severley affected trees infected at a young age will
not produce a good crop.
 BACTERIA 38 16
Papaya Dieback
Erwinia papayae

Photo: Thaddeus Peters, Ministry of Agriculture Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Grenada

• The pathogen attacks the top of the leaf stalk causing

yellowing and then browning.
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• The leaf collapses and will turn brown.

• If the tip of the plant is infected the whole plant will rot and die.
• Symptoms can look like Phytohpthora infection but split the
stem as Phytophthora usually starts at the bottom and other
infections start at the top of the tree.
 INSECT 5 17
White Peach Scale
Pseudaulacaspis pentagona

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Causes leaf chlorosis and twig die back.

• Produces honeydew leading to sooty mould which
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can reduce plant vigour and cause death of tree if severe.

• Common on leaves and fruits.
 INSECT 6 18
Snow Scale
Unaspis citri

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Can reach extremely high numbers on fruit and leaves.

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 W’MOULD 39 41 19
Phytophthora Blight
Phytophthora palmivora

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Fruit rot initially appears as small, circular, water-soaked spots

about 5-10 mm in diameter.
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• Large lesions, often forming first where the fruit touches the stem
of the plant.
• As the pathogen spreads within the fruit it becomes covered with
whitish fungal growth and masses of Phytophthora sporangia.
 FUNGUS 20
Grey Mould
Botrytis cinerea

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• An opportunistic pathogen that will attack weak and

over-ripe fruit.
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• Will occur in times of high humidity and especially

on damaged fruit.
• A characteristic grey fluffy (fuzz) of spores will cover
the rot which gradually spreads over all of the fruit.
 MITE 7 27 21
Mites
Various species of mite

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• The mites scratch the surface of the developing fruit which

responds by producing sap (latex).
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• The milky white sap will dry on the surface of fruit leaving
ugly dry scabs.
 FUNGUS 13 22
Black Spot
Asperisporium caricae

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Lesions start as water soaked spots that become

necrotic (brown). These develop into pale shallow circular
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lesions up to 10 mm diameter often surrounded by a chlorotic

halo. There is no tissue decay beneath.
• The white zones in the photo are fungal parastites of the
pathogen and not the pathogen itself.
 VIRUS 15 34 23
Papaya Ringspot
Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV)

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Fruit from infected trees have ringspots on the skin (they

are not actual spots). The ringspots can be very light at the
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beginning of the disease and gradually increase in number

and colour.
• Fruit is not produced on severely affected plants.
• Can sometimes be confused with Tomato spotted wilt virus.
 FUNGUS 26 24
Collectotrichum Rot
Glomerella cingulata

Photo: Thaddeus Peters, Min of Ag, Grenada

• Round, water-soaked, sunken spots, can become as large

as 50 mm diameter. Turning pinkish orange, with fungal
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masses in the centre.

• Often present on over-ripe fruits.
 INSECT 2 25
Oriental Fruit Fly
Bactrocera dorsalis

Photo: William M. Brown Jr., Bugwood.org

• Small puncture wounds with circular halos on the fruit

surface; rotting of the skin.
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• The puncture holes often allow other diseases to attack

the fruit, making the fruits difficult to sell.
 FUNGUS 24 26
Colletotrichum Rot
Glomerella cingulata

Photo: J. Waller, CABI

• Small water-soaked spots appear on the fruit surface

as ripening commences.
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• Circular sunken lesions with light brown margins form,

with pink fungal masses in the centre.
• Internal tissue is firm with a greyish white discolouration.
 MITE 7 21 27
False Spider Mite
Brevipalpus phoenicis

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Causes marks, scarring and sometimes a mosaic on leaves

and fruit skin.
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• Reduces plant vigour and affects the taste of the fruit.

 FUNGUS 11 28
Powdery Mildew
Oidium caricae

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Mildew on immature fruit begins as circular patches

of white powdery material that join together and cover
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the entire fruit.

• As the fruit ripens, the fungus may disappear leaving
behind grey scars.
 INSECT 4 29
Papaya Mealybug
Paracoccus marginatus

Photo: C. Njuguna, IITA

• Fruit may become completely covered by a layer

of mealybugs and wax secretions.
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• Heavy infestations may cause early fruit fall.

• When infested the fruit loses value or cannot be
sold at markets.
 FUNGUS 30
Black Rot
Mycosphaerella caricae

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Mainly attacks young fruits, usually at the point of contact

with dead leaves.
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• Can affect ripening fruits through broken fruit stalks.

• Small, dark, sunken, water-soaked regions; wrinkled fruits.
• Fruits may oose sap.
 FUNGUS 31
Black Spot
Cercospora sp.

Photo: Wayne Nishijima, Flickr

• Tiny Black dots on fruit which enlarge to 3 mm across;

spots are slightly raised and although indistinct on unripe
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green fruit.
• Become visible on ripening to yellow; lesions on leaves
are irregular in shape and grey-white in colour; if infection
is severe, leaves may turn yellow and die and drop from plant.
 DEFICIENCY 32
Shortage of Boron
Boron deficiency

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Symptoms first appear in new growth.

• The leaves appear brittle and distorted.
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• Affected fruit are seedless, ripen unevenly and are covered

in lumps.
• Affected trees can lose up to 100% of their fruits.
 VIRUS 37 33
Papaya Bunchy Top
Papaya bunchy top virus or candidatus phytoplasma carica

Photo: P. Taylor, CABI

• Irregular water-soaked marks at the base of the leaf stem.

• Fruiting or latex discharge rarely occurs on severely
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infected trees.
• Can be found with other symptoms on the younger leaves.
• These two causes are extremley difficult to tell apart in
the field.
 VIRUS 15 23 34
Papaya Ringspot
Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV)

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Leaves develop prominent mosaic and chlorosis on the

leaf lamina and water soaked oily streaks on the petioles
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and upper part of the trunk.

• Severe symptoms often include a distortion of young
leaves which also result in the development of a shoestring
appearance that resembles mite damage.
 W’MOULD 35
Damping Off
Phytophthora/Pythium spp.

Photo: R. Williams, CABI Crop Compendium

• Shoots and roots are necrotic; seedlings necrotic with

watery roots; seeds have watery rots.
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• If the plant is older, infections are not as lethal, but they

can still have a significant impact on plant growth and yield,
particularly in abnormally hot and windy weather.
 DEFICIENCY 36
Shortage of Iron
Iron deficiency

Photo: S.Nelson, Flickr

• Yellowing between the veins which appears as a green

network of veins on leaves.
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• The symptoms are seen in the younger leaves first.

• Fruit may be low in sugar.
 P’PLASMA 33 37
Papaya Bunchy Top
Candidatus phytoplasma carica

Photo: Reuben Raymond, Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Grenada

• Upper leaf mottling and yellowing between leaf veins,

leaves are thickened and the edges may turn brown.
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• Tree leaves and leaf stalks are smaller (shorter internodes),

giving a bunchy top appearance.
• Fruits can become bitter and the entire tree may die.
 BACTERIA 16 38
Papaya Dieback
Erwinia papayae

Photo: Thaddeus Peters, Ministry of Agriculture Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and

Environment, Grenada

• Infection of the main trunk.

• Note the ooze from the centre of the lesion (with maggots
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feeding on the ooze).

• The outside of the plant rots away leaving the fiberous
material inside.
 W’MOULD 19 41 39
Root Rot
Phytophthora/Pythium spp.

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Browning of the inside of the roots.

• Damage start at the ends of the secondary roots and
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progresses towards the inside of the primary roots.

• Rot is at the base but general wilting and stunting
of the plant/tree from the top down.
 NEMATODE 40
Root Knot nematode
Meloidogyne spp.

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Lumps or galls of between 1 and 10 cm on the roots.

Heavily galled roots may rot away.
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• Tree or plant growth stunted, starts to wilt, followed by

a general chlorosis. This can result in the death of the
tree if severely infected roots are continually attacked.
 W’MOULD 19 39 41
Phytophthora root rot
Phytophthora palmivora

Photo: S. Nelson, Flickr

• Side roots of young plants (less than 3 months old)

are most susceptible in wet soils.
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• Roots may become dark and rotten, causing stunting

of plant growth and yellow, collapsed leaves.
• Severely infected plants may die. Plants with a heavy
load of fruit may fall. Papaya plants with rotton roots
are susceptible to drought.
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KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

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