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The Efficacy of Grafting on Alkali Stressed Watermelon Cultivars Under Hydroponic Conditions

Die Wirksamkeit der Pfropfung auf Wassermelonensorten unter Alkalistress und hydroponischen Bedingungen

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Abstract

The goal of the present study was to determine whether grafting of watermelon on gourd rootstocks could improve alkalinity tolerance and to investigate the physiological and morphological response mechanisms of the grafted plants under different pH levels. The experiment was carried out in a climate chamber to investigate growth, leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD), leaf area, stem length, shoot and root dry weight, root length, electrolyte leakage, leaf mineral composition, total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents. Two watermelon cultivars (Crimson tide, CT, and Crisby) were grafted onto three commercial Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata hybrid rootstocks under climate-chamber conditions (Strong tosa, ST, Ercole and Nun 9075). The grafted seedlings were transplanted onto 8 L continuously aerated pots containing nutrient solution with two different pH levels (8.5 and 6.5) and replicated three times. The results showed that in both grafted and non-grafted plants, there was a substantial reduction in shoot and root biomass production at high pH levels. At high pH level, the significantly highest leaf area, stem length, SPAD, concentration of P, Ca, S and Mn in leaf tissues were recorded in graft combination ‘Crisby/Ercole’, whereas the significantly highest concentration of Fe in leaf tissues, shoot dry weight were recorded in graft combination ‘Crisby/Nun 9075’. Moreover, at high pH, the significantly highest concentration of Mg and Cu in shoot under high pH levels was significantly found in graft combination of ‘CT/ST’. These results suggest that the use of interspecific Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata hybrid rootstocks can improve crop performance in watermelon plants under alkaline conditions.

Zusammenfassung

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es zu bestimmen, ob das Pfropfen von Wassermelonen auf Kürbiswurzelstöcke die Alkalitoleranz verbessern kann und die physiologischen und morphologischen Reaktionsmechanismen der gepfropften Pflanzen bei verschiedenen pH-Werten zu untersuchen. Das Experiment wurde in einer Klimakammer durchgeführt, um Wachstum, Blattchlorophyllgehalt (SPAD), Blattfläche, Stammlänge, Spross- und Wurzeltrockengewicht, Wurzellänge, Elektrolytverlust, Blattmineralzusammensetzung, Gesamtchlorophyll- und -carotinoidgehalt zu untersuchen. Zwei Wassermelonensorten (Crimson tide, CT, und Crisby) wurden unter Klimakammerbedingungen (Strong tosa, ST, Ercole und Nun 9075) auf drei kommerzielle Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata-Hybridwurzelstöcke gepfropft. Die gepfropften Sämlinge wurden in kontinuierlich belüftete 8‑Liter-Töpfe gepflanzt, die Nährlösung mit zwei verschiedenen pH-Werten (8,5 und 6,5) enthielten; der Versuch wurde dreimal repliziert. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass sowohl bei den gepfropften als auch bei den nicht gepfropften Pflanzen eine erhebliche Verringerung der Spross- und Wurzelbiomasseproduktion bei hohen pH-Werten auftrat. Bei hohem pH-Wert wurden die signifikant höchsten Werte bzgl. Blattfläche, Stammlänge, SPAD, Konzentration von P, Ca, S und Mn im Blattgewebe bei der Pfropfkombination ‚Crisby/Ercole‘ aufgezeichnet, während die signifikant höchste Fe-Konzentration im Blattgewebe und das höchste Sprosstrockengewicht bei der Kombination ‚Crisby/Nun 9075‘ registriert wurden. Außerdem wurde bei hohem pH-Wert die signifikant höchste Konzentration von Mg und Cu im Spross bei der Pfropfkombination ‚CT/ST‘ gefunden. Diese Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass die Verwendung von interspezifischen Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata-Hybridwurzelstöcken die Ertragsfähigkeit von Wassermelonenpflanzen unter alkalischen Bedingungen verbessern kann.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Agricultural Faculty, Horticulture Dept., Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey

    Firdes Ulas & Halit Yetisir

  2. Agricultural Faculty, Horticulture Dept., Ahi Evran University, Kırsehir, Turkey

    Alim Aydın

  3. Agricultural Faculty, Soil Sci. and Plant Nutrition Dept., Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey

    Abdullah Ulas

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  1. Firdes Ulas
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  3. Abdullah Ulas
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Correspondence to Firdes Ulas.

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F. Ulas, A. Aydın, A. Ulas and H. Yetisir declare that they have no competing interests.

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Ulas, F., Aydın, A., Ulas, A. et al. The Efficacy of Grafting on Alkali Stressed Watermelon Cultivars Under Hydroponic Conditions. Gesunde Pflanzen 73, 345–357 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-021-00559-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10343-021-00559-1

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