Nitrogen Accumulation and Root Distribution of Grafted Tomato Plants as Affected by Nitrogen Fertilization

Abstract

<jats:p>Growth and yield typically increase when tomato plants are grafted to selected interspecific hybrid rootstocks from which distinctive root system morphologies are envisioned to aid nutrient uptake. We assessed these relationships using a range of exogenous nitrogen (N) supplies under field production conditions. This study analyzed the impact of N on growth, root distribution, N uptake, and N use of determinate ‘Florida 47’ tomato plants grafted onto vigorous, interspecific, hybrid tomato rootstocks ‘Multifort’ and ‘Beaufort’. Six N rates, 56, 112, 168, 224, 280, and 336 kg·ha<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>, were applied to sandy soil in Live Oak, FL, during Spring 2010 and 2011. During both years, the leaf area index, aboveground biomass, and N accumulation (leaf blade, petiole, stem, and fruit) responded quadratically to the increase in N fertilizer rates. Averaged over the two seasons, the aboveground biomass, N accumulation, N use efficiency (NUE), and N uptake efficiency (NUpE) were ≈29%, 31%, 30%, and 33% greater in grafted plants than in nongrafted controls, respectively. More prominent increases occurred in the root length density (RLD) in the uppermost 15 cm of soil; for grafted plants, RLD values in this upper 15-cm layer were significantly greater than those of nongrafted plants during both years with an average increase of 69% over the two seasons. Across all the grafted and nongrafted plants, the RLD decreased along the soil profile, with ≈60% of the total RLD concentrated in the uppermost 0 to 15 cm of the soil layer. These results demonstrated a clear association between enhanced RLD, especially in the upper 15 cm of soil, and improvements in tomato plant growth, N uptake, and N accumulation with grafting onto vigorous rootstocks.</jats:p>

Effect of Self- and Inter-Cultivar Grafting on Growth and Nutrient Content in Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

“…Thus, differences in root system traits may not have played a critical role in plant growth. Our finding also differs from grafting studies in tomato ( Djidonou et al, 2019 ) and cucurbits ( Nawaz et al, 2017 ; Liang et al, 2021 ) that have found increased plant vigor and yield due to the enhanced nutrient uptake and supply by the rootstock. While basil growth seems relatively unaffected by nutrient supply, studies have shown nutrient supply to alter the concentrations of commercially important compounds in basil ( Zheljazkov et al, 2008 ; Ciriello et al, 2020 ; Kolega et al, 2020 ).…”

Nitrate Transport Rate in the Xylem of Tomato Plants Grafted onto a Vigorous Rootstock

“…With regards to the effects of rootstock genotypes on shoot N concentration, contradictory results have been reported for interspecific rootstocks of S. lycopesicum × S. habrochaites. Most of the reports conclude that genotypes such as Beaufort, Mutifort or He-Man increase the concentration of N in the shoot [34][35][36]. Another common rootstock is Maxifort which has shown genotype-specific responses to shoot N concentration.…”

“…Money Maker as scion, it does not affect shoot N concentration [36], while the effect on cv. Primadonna as scion was to promote N content in the shoot biomass, in comparison to non-grafted plants [35].…”

Aplikasi Actinomycetes dan Bakteriofag pada Tomat Sambung untuk Mengendalikan Penyakit Layu Bakteri Ralstonia solanacearum dan Meningkatkan Hasil Buah

“…Kelimpahan unsur C dan N yang tinggi pada tomat sambung sejalan dengan temuan Li et al (2014) dan Nie et al, (2010), bahwa tomat sambung memiliki konsentrasi CO2 pada akar tanaman dan sumber N di eksudat akar yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan tanaman tanpa sambung. Djidonou et al (2019) juga melaporkan bahwa tomat sambung mampu mengurangi hilangnya pencucian unsur N dengan penyerapan N yang tinggi di akar.…”