Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is a globally popular tropical fruit that can either be used in an unripe, “mature green” state in savory dishes, or consumed when ripe and sweet. In recent years, commercial papaya growers in southern Florida have favored large-fruited accessions often destined for the mature green market. Increased cultivation of papayas for the dessert fruit market, especially varieties with superior fruit quality may facilitate growth of the industry. Therefore, a study was designed to identify varieties that perform well in southern Florida, as well as accessions possessing useful characteristics for future breeding work. A total of 21 papaya accessions were assessed for yield components, plant height, and ripe fruit quality traits with an emphasis on aroma. In general, small fruited solo-type papayas were among the tallest accessions at first harvest reaching up to 244 cm tall for ‘Kapoho #1’ and with first fruit insertion heights up to 152 cm for ‘Kapoho #2’. N08–75, ‘Sunrise #2’, and ‘Sunset’ had higher average fruit numbers (43, 45, and 37 fruit per plant, respectively) than some of the larger fruited accessions like Saipan Red #1 (7 fruit per plant) throughout a six-month harvest period. The accessions with the highest fruit weights ranged from 1.48 to 2.13 kg for Brash Panama, HAES 7836, N07–24, Saipan Red #1, and Saipan Red #2. There were significant differences among the accessions for fruit quality traits including pH (4.55–5.13), titratable acidity (0.10–0.23%), and total soluble solids (8.9–14.5%). Quantification of 112 putatively identified and 12 unknown volatile compounds revealed terpenes as the most abundant components in 18 accessions, with linalool typically at the highest concentration. Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) revealed 26 volatiles that may contribute to aroma. Several of these compounds including butanoic acid, methyl butanoate, octanoic acid, and (E)-citral varied greatly in abundance among accessions. The variability observed for important fruit quality and agronomic traits suggests potential for improvement through plant breeding, as well as expanded cultivation of currently available varieties for the dessert fruit market in southern Florida.

木瓜（Carica papayaL.) 是一种全球流行的热带水果，既可以在未成熟的“成熟绿色”状态下用于咸味菜肴，也可以在成熟和甜味时食用。近年来，佛罗里达州南部的商业木瓜种植者偏爱通常运往成熟绿色市场的大果品种。增加甜点水果市场的木瓜种植，特别是具有优良水果品质的品种，可能会促进该行业的发展。因此，设计了一项研究来确定在佛罗里达州南部表现良好的品种，以及对未来育种工作具有有用特征的种质。对总共 21 个木瓜种质的产量构成、株高和成熟果实品质性状进行了评估，重点是香气。一般来说，小果单型木瓜是第一次收获时最高的种质之一，'Kapoho #1' 高达 244 厘米，'Kapoho #2' 的首次果实插入高度高达 152 厘米。N08-75、'Sunrise #2' 和 'Sunset' 的平均果实数（分别为每株 43、45 和 37 个果实）高于塞班红 #1（每株 7 个果实）等一些较大的果实种质整个六个月的收获期。对于 Brash Panama、HAES 7836、N07-24、Saipan Red #1 和 Saipan Red #2，果实重量最高的种质为 1.48 至 2.13 kg。果实品质性状包括 pH (4.55–5.13)、可滴定酸度 (0.10–0.23%) 和总可溶性固形物 (8.9–14.5%) 等，不同种质之间存在显着差异。对 112 种推定鉴定的和 12 种未知的挥发性化合物进行定量分析，发现萜烯是 18 种材料中含量最高的成分，其中芳樟醇的浓度通常最高。气相色谱-嗅觉测定法 (GC-O) 揭示了 26 种可能有助于产生香气的挥发物。其中几种化合物包括丁酸、丁酸甲酯、辛酸和（E )-柠檬醛在不同种质之间的丰度差异很大。观察到的重要水果质量和农艺性状的变异性表明，通过植物育种以及扩大佛罗里达州南部甜点水果市场现有品种的种植，具有改进的潜力。