Papain is a milky latex collected by making incisions in unripe papayas. The 'solo' papaya is not a good variety for papain production due to its low yield of papain. Consumption of the fruit is reported to aid digestion because of the papain content. Dry seed may be stored for a year or more in airtight refrigerated containers. Fresh seeds will usually germinate in 10 to 14 days.
Seeds are sown either in containers or directly in the ground.
Transplanting container-grown plants is usually limited to areas where there is dependable rainfall or supplemental irrigation. The soil helps to retain fertilizer nutrients and moisture. Restricted soil drainage promotes root diseases. Most commercial production in Hawaii is on porous aa lava. Production on other soil types is limited to low rainfall areas where restricted drainage is less likely to cause problems.