Assessing Quantitative Criteria for Characterization of Quality Categories for Grafted Watermelon Seedlings

Bantis, Filippos; Κουκουνάρας, Αθανάσιος; Siomos, Anastasios S.; Μενεξές, Γεώργιος; Dangitsis, Christodoulos; Kintzonidis, Damianos

doi:10.3390/horticulturae5010016

Cited by 29 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…In Bantis et. al's study, the Dickson's quality index was used as an important indicator for grafted watermelon and squash seedlings [43,61]. Neto et.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of Supplementary Lighting Duration on Growth and Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes in Grafted Watermelon Seedlings

2020

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Insufficient exposure to light in the winter may result in a longer production periods and lower quality of seedlings in greenhouses for plug growers. Supplementary artificial lighting to plug seedlings may be one solution to this problem. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of the duration of the supplementary light on the growth and development of two watermelon cultivars, ‘Speed’ and ‘Sambok Honey’ grafted onto ‘RS-Dongjanggun’ bottle gourd rootstocks (Lagenaria siceraria Stanld). Seedlings were grown for 10 days in a glasshouse with an average daily natural light intensity of 340 μmol·m−2·s−1 photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and daily supplementary lighting of 8, 12 or 16 h from mixed LEDs (W1R2B1, chip ratio of white:red:blue = 1:2:1) at a light intensity of 100 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD, a group without supplementary light was set as the control (CK). The culture environment in a glasshouse had 25/15 °C day/night temperatures, an 85 ± 5% relative humidity, and a natural photoperiod of 8 h. The results showed that all the growth and development parameters of seedlings grown with supplementary light were significantly greater than those without supplementary light (CK). The 12 and 16 h supplementary light resulted in greater growth and development parameters than the 8 h supplementary light did. The same trend was also found with the indexes that reflect the quality of the seedlings, such as the dry weight ratio of the shoot and root, total biomass, dry weight to height ratio of scions, and specific leaf weight. The 12 h and 16 h light supplements resulted in greater Dickson’s quality indexes compared to the 8 h supplementary light, and the 12 h supplementary light showed the greatest use efficiency of the supplementary light. 16 h of daily supplementary light significantly increased the H2O2 content and the antioxidant enzyme activities in seedlings compared to the other treatments. This indicated that 16 h of supplementary light led to certain stresses in watermelon seedlings. In conclusion, considering the energy consumption, 12 h of supplementary light was the most efficient in improving the quality of the two cultivars of grafted watermelon plug seedlings.

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“…In Bantis et. al's study, the Dickson's quality index was used as an important indicator for grafted watermelon and squash seedlings [43,61]. Neto et.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…After the parameters were measured, the dry weight ratio of the shoot and root, total biomass, scion dry weight to height ratio, specific leaf weight, Dickson's quality index (DQI), and supplementary light use efficiency were also calculated. The DQI was calculated as shown below [42][43][44][45]:…”

Section: Measurements Of Growth Parameters and Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Supplementary Lighting Duration on Growth and Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes in Grafted Watermelon Seedlings

2020

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“…The two calculated indices incorporated values of parameters (e.g., shoot dry weight and stem length) that accumulatively excelled under T1 and T3 for watermelon and under T1, T3, and T4 for interspecific squash, subsequently leading to greater values and seedlings of greater quality. DW/L and DQI proved valuable for the evaluation of grafted watermelon seedlings' quality [6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the past, watermelon seedling quality had a vague meaning that included terms such as plant uniformity, proper size, thick stem, and a well-developed root system, among others. Two recently published articles [5,6] offer a proper description of the quality of to-be-grafted watermelon seedlings as well as grafted seedlings using a number of objective measurements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal LED Wavelength Composition for the Production of High-Quality Watermelon and Interspecific Squash Seedlings Used for Grafting

et al. 2019

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Watermelon is cultivated worldwide and is mainly grafted onto interspecific squash rootstocks. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can be implemented as light sources during indoor production of both species and their spectral quality is of great importance. The objective of the present study was to determine the optimal emission of LEDs with wide wavelength for the production of watermelon and interspecific squash seedlings in a growth chamber. Conditions were set at 22/20 °C temperature (day/night), 16 h photoperiod, and 85 ± 5 μmol m−2 s−1 photosynthetic photon flux density. Illumination was provided by fluorescent (FL, T0) lamps or four LEDs (T1, T2, T3, and T4) emitting varying wide spectra. Watermelon seedlings had greater shoot length, stem diameter, cotyledon area, shoot dry weight-to-length (DW/L) ratio, and Dickson’s quality index (DQI) under T1 and T3, while leaf area and shoot dry weight (DW) had higher values under T1. Interspecific squash seedlings had greater stem diameter, and shoot and root DW under T1 and T3, while leaf and cotyledon areas were favored under T1. In both species, T0 showed inferior development. It could be concluded that a light source with high red emission, relatively low blue emission, and a red:far-red ratio of about 3 units seems ideal for the production of high-quality watermelon (scion) and interspecific squash (rootstock) seedlings.

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“…The differences in fruit quality across growing regions could have resulted from various factors affecting seedling establishment and growth performance in the field. Varying weather conditions, day and night temperatures, soil type and fertility, and irrigation quality and quantity are known to affect fruit quality [11,12]. We observed significant interactions between growing region and grafting treatment (Table 4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Relationships between Rootstock-Scion Combinations and Growing Regions on Watermelon Fruit Quality

et al. 2019

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Grafting of vegetable plants is done primarily to reduce the potential for damage caused by soil-borne diseases. Most of the watermelons (Citrullus) grown in the Mediterranean Basin, including in Israel, are grafted, mainly on interspecific hybrid pumpkin (Cucurbita) rootstocks. Biblical law (Leviticus 19:19) does not allow intergeneric grafting, so in recent years, great efforts have been made in Israel to find or breed watermelon rootstocks. Both interspecific and intergeneric grafting can have negative or positive effects on fruit yield and quality after harvest. The inconsistencies in fruit quality and shelf-life parameters can be attributed to differences in production environments. However, many farmers are grafting and planting the same rootstock-scion combination all over the country, regardless of local soil, water, and climactic conditions. We studied the effect of similar rootstock-scion combinations on watermelon yield and fruit quality in three regions of Israel differing in soil type and altitude. Fruit-quality parameters were evaluated after 4 days at 21 °C (local marketing simulation). Fruit quality was significantly affected, mainly by the growing region, based on factorial analysis, but also by rootstock-scion combination, regardless of rootstock vigor. Therefore, the best rootstock-scion combination needs to be found and adopted for each growing region. Grafting was essential for watermelon crop survival in contaminated soils and improved both plant performance and postharvest fruit quality, but was not a factor in non-contaminated soils.

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Assessing Quantitative Criteria for Characterization of Quality Categories for Grafted Watermelon Seedlings

Cited by 29 publications

References 17 publications

Effect of Supplementary Lighting Duration on Growth and Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes in Grafted Watermelon Seedlings

Effect of Supplementary Lighting Duration on Growth and Activity of Antioxidant Enzymes in Grafted Watermelon Seedlings

Optimal LED Wavelength Composition for the Production of High-Quality Watermelon and Interspecific Squash Seedlings Used for Grafting

Relationships between Rootstock-Scion Combinations and Growing Regions on Watermelon Fruit Quality

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