Rainbow

Rainbow is a transgenic Hawaiian papaya developed to resist papaya ringspot virus, credited with saving Hawaii's papaya industry after the virus devastated crops in the 1990s. A red-fleshed Solo-type derived from Sunrise Solo and the virus-resistant SunUp line, it produces small pear-shaped fruit of roughly one pound with sweet reddish-orange flesh. Rainbow combines strong genetic resistance to ringspot virus with good eating quality and self-fruitful hermaphrodite plants. It became the dominant papaya in the Puna region and a landmark example of virus-resistant crop breeding. In frost-free permaculture gardens where ringspot is a threat, Rainbow offers durable protection alongside sweet dessert fruit.