Latex stains

Latex is a major issue during papaya harvesting. It drips from harvested papaya onto lower fruit, during both picking by hand and knife. Post-harvest, latex can also drip onto other fruits. Potential solutions to mitigate this include trimming the fruit stem after harvest, leaving fruit standing upright with the stem end down before transport and dabbing off latex during harvest. It is crucial to avoid or to wash off any latex on the skin as it promotes decay and rot.