Fatty Alcohol Rootstock Treatment: An Overview of a New Approach to Cucurbit Grafting

Abstract

Fatty alcohol treatment at the appearance of the first true leaf is a newlyintroduced technology that control meristematic regrowth of cucurbit rootstocks used in grafting. In addition to regrowth control, rootstocks treated with fatty alcohol have been shown to increase in stored carbohydrates over time after treatment. This carbohydrate increase allows for a more successful, durable graft, and gives grafted transplants an advantage in field establishment. Because treated rootstocks increase in carbohydrates over time, older, treated rootstocks may contain enough stored energy to allow improved grafting success in a shorter period of time. This treatment also allows for a longer time period in which rootstock can be used in grafting. An overview of experiments will be presented to describe this novel approach to cucurbit grafting, including a rate trial to determine the optimal fatty alcohol treatment concentration, analyses of rootstock carbohydrate content over time after fatty alcohol treatment, grafting experiments to determine the effect of fatty alcohol treatment on rootstock grafting success as well as to determine the optimal grafting age after fatty alcohol treatment, and field trials to determine whether fatty alcohol treatments give grafted transplants an added advantage in the field.

Development of Interspecific Hybrids between a Cultivated Eggplant Resistant to Bacterial Wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) and Eggplant Wild Relatives for the Development of Rootstocks

“…Therefore, interspecific hybrids between these sources of resistance may have little value as rootstocks in areas affected by bacterial wilt. However, interspecific rootstocks are among the most popular rootstocks for improving plant vigor and yield of grafted scion in commercial production of solanaceous and cucurbitaceous crops [ 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. In particular, the interspecific hybrids between S. melongena and the three wild species used here have proved to be heterotic for vigor traits [ 44 ] and might be of interest for areas free from bacterial wilt, although tests of graft affinity should be performed to confirm the potential interest of these hybrids [ 61 ].…”

Interspecific Hybridization between Cucurbita Maxima Duch. and Cucurbita Moschata Duch. for High Efficient Development of Cucurbit Rootstocks

“…Matsum. & Nakai), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) for the control of biotic and abiotic stresses and to enhance scion vigor (Ruiz et al, 1997, Hassel andDaley 2015). High compatibility was found between these interspecific hybrids and watermelon.…”