Volume 14, Issue 2 (Journal of Soil and Plant Interactions 2023)                   2023, 14(2): 21-39 | Back to browse issues page


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Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture, Vali-e-Asr University, Rafsanjan, Iran.
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Abstract
In this study, the possibility of growing greenhouse tomato cv. Dafnis with saving water consumption through grafting on different rootstocks was investigated by studying photosynthesis and plant growth. The experiment was carried out in the form of split plots based on completely randomized design in which the main-plot was irrigation levels (irrigation intervals of 3, 6 and 9 days) and the sub-plot consisted of 9 different grafting combinations. After grafting and establishment of tomato plants in greenhouse, the plants were exposed to the irrigation levels for 4 months and all were irrigated up to field capacity. Photosynthesis parameters were measured in four stages and shoot and root dry weights were determined at the end of the experiment. Based on the results, photosynthetic parameters were reduced by the intensity and duration of drought stress. The experimental results showed that the rate of photosynthesis was the same in all grafting combinations 36 days after the start of irrigation levels. However, after 72 days, the rate of photosynthesis in the “Emperador” rootstock was higher than in the control. The chlorophyll fluorescence indices were not sensitive to show the effects of drought stress and the role of rootstocks. Cherry tomato rootstock, in addition to having an extensive root system than the other rootstocks, resulted in more shoot growth at all levels of irrigation, although the least reduction in root weight was observed in the local eggplant rootstock of Yazd. In general, it can be concluded that the photosynthesis in this experiment was more affected by the interaction of environmental factors and grafting and the rootstocks used did not play a significant role in this regard. Furthermore, root and shoot growth traits were more affected by genetic potential of rootstock, and photosynthetic activities of the plant had a minor influence on them.

Background and Objective: The cultivation of tomato is often threatened by drought stress periods as this crop is largely dependent on sufficient water supply (1). The magnitude and intensity of drought are predicted to increase under climate change scenarios, particularly in semi-arid regions, where water is already a scarce resource. Hence, it is imperative to devise strategies for mitigating the adverse effects of drought on tomato through improvement in the plant’s efficiency of root water uptake. Since the root is the entry point for water, its intrinsic structure and functions play a crucial role in maintaining the soil–water–plant continuum during moisture deficit at the rhizosphere. Grafting offers a great opportunity to replace the root system of the cultivated tomato plants with that of wild species and hence provide a rapid solution to modulate root system architecture in contrast to the time-consuming conventional breeding approach (2). In this study, the possibility of growing greenhouse tomato of Dafnis cultivar by saving water consumption through grafting on different rootstocks and from the point of photosynthesis and growth view was investigated.

Materials and Methods: The experiment was carried out in the form of split plots based on completely randomized design in which the main-plot was irrigation levels (irrigation intervals of 3, 6 and 9 days) and the sub-plot consisted of 9 different grafting combinations. After grafting and establishment in the greenhouse, tomato plants were exposed to the irrigation levels for 4 months and all were irrigated up to field capacity. Photosynthesis and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were measured in 4 stages and shoot and root dry weights were determined at the end of the experiment.

Results: Based on the results, photosynthetic parameters were reduced by the intensity and duration of drought stress. The intensity of photosynthesis was the same in all grafting combinations 36 days after the start of irrigation levels and was not different from the non-grafted control plants. However, after 72 days, the rate of photosynthesis in the “Emperador” rootstock was higher than in the control. In this experiment, chlorophyll fluorescence indices were not sensitive to show the effects of drought stress and the role of rootstocks. Cherry tomato rootstock had, an extensive root system than the other rootstocks, resulted in more shoot growth at all levels of irrigation, although the least reduction in root weight was observed in the local eggplant rootstock of Yazd.

Conclusions: In general, it can be concluded that the process of photosynthesis was more affected by the interaction of environmental factors and grafting, and the rootstocks used did not play a significant role in this regard. Furthermore, root and shoot growth traits were more affected by genetic potential of rootstock, and photosynthetic activities of the plant had a minor influence on them. Grafting as a healthy technique may increase the resistance of tomato plants against drought stress depending on the genotype of the rootstock.

References:
1. Jiang, L., Wang, Y., Zhang, S., He, R., Li, W., Han, J., Cheng, X., 2017. Tomato SlDREB1 gene conferred the transcriptional activation of drought-induced gene and an enhanced tolerance of the transgenic Arabidopsis to drought stress. Plant Growth Regulation 81: 131–145.
2. Rouphael, Y., Kyriacou, M.C., Colla, G., 2018. Vegetable grafting: A toolbox for securing yield stability under multiple stress conditions. Frontiers in Plant Science 8: 2255.
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Type of Study: Applicable | Subject: Plant growth under stressful conditions
Received: 2023/01/6 | Accepted: 2023/07/1 | Published: 2023/09/20

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