Editing Papaya (section)

=== Viruses ===
[[Papaya ringspot virus]] is a well-known virus within plants in Florida.<ref name="morton" /> The first signs of the virus are yellowing and vein-clearing of younger leaves and mottling yellow leaves. Infected leaves may obtain blisters, roughen, or narrow, with blades sticking upwards from the middle of the leaves. The petioles and stems may develop dark green greasy streaks and, in time, become shorter. The ringspots are circular, C-shaped markings that are a darker green than the fruit. In the later stages of the virus, the markings may become gray and crusty. Viral infections impact growth and reduce the fruit's quality. One of the biggest effects that viral infections have on papaya is taste. As of 2010, the only way to protect papaya from this virus is [[Genetically modified food|genetic modification]].<ref name="papaya ringspot">{{cite web |author1=Gonsalves, D. |author2=Tripathi, S. |author3=Carr, J.B. |author4=Suzuki, J.Y. |year=2010 |title=Papaya ringspot virus |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=231839}}</ref>

The [[papaya mosaic virus]] destroys the plant until only a small tuft of leaves is left. The virus affects both the leaves of the plant and the fruit. Leaves show thin, irregular, dark-green lines around the borders and clear areas around the veins. The more severely affected leaves are irregular and linear in shape. The virus can infect the fruit at any stage of its maturity. Fruits as young as two weeks old have been spotted with dark-green ringspots about 1 inch (25&nbsp;mm) in diameter. Rings on the fruit are most likely seen on either the stem end or the blossom end. In the early stages of the ringspots, the rings tend to be many closed circles, but as the disease develops, the rings increase in diameter consisting of one large ring. The difference between the ringspot and the mosaic viruses is the ripe fruit in the ringspot has a mottling of colors, and the mosaic does not.<ref name="papaya mosaic">{{cite web |last1=Hine |first1=B.R. |last2=Holtsmann |first2=O.V. |last3=Raabe |first3=R.D. |date=July 1965 |title=Disease of papaya in Hawaii |url=http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/B-136.pdf}}</ref>