Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a tropical and subtropical crop and is considered to be one of the most important sources of vitamins A and C and the industrially important enzyme papain. The world-wide production of papaya in 1998 was 4,801,093 Mt with a total area under cultivation of 261 kha. Conventionally, papaya is propagated by seeds and has the disadvantage of heterogeneity as a result of cross-pollination.