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Questions and Answers: 2022

Question: Hi, I had heard/experimented with inserting a big nail on a Papaya tree to bear fruits. This technique worked when …

• Question

  Hi, I had heard/experimented with inserting a big nail on a Papaya tree to bear fruits. This technique worked when we tested it in Central India (Madhya Pradesh). I also found that this technique works in other places as well. I would like to know the science behind this and how the plant internally reacts after the nail was insetred. Pls, explain in deatils. Thanks.

  Answer

  Dear abera@smu.edu, I have no experience using this method to produce fruit on papaya trees. However, there are places where you can read that others have done so and succeeded in producing fruit. It has been suggested that the trauma causes the tree to either change sex (from pollen-bearing to fruit-bearing) or invigorate production of fruit in fruit-bearing trees (essentially, if the tree senses trauma that could lead to the death of the plant, all resources go into producing fruit). Again, I have no experience, this is only what I've read. Best wishes.