Grafting cucumber seedlings on Cucurbita spp.: Comparison of different grafting methods, scions and their performance

In this study, Maraton F-1 and Assos F-1 cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seedlings were grafted on P.360 (Cucurbita maxima x Cucurbita moschata) and Arican-97 (Cucurbita maxima Duch.) rootstocks using hole-insertion grafting (HIG) and cleft grafting (CG) methods. Grafting success rate was investigated 20 days later. There was a significant difference between the two rootstocks regarding grafting success rate (99.2% for P.360 and 80.8% for Arican-97), which did not vary depending on grafting methods (88.3% and 91.7% for HIG and CG, respectively) or cucumber cultivars (90.8% and 89.2% for Maraton F-1 and Assos F-1, respectively). Grafted and non-grafted (control) cucumbers were then cultivated in soil contaminated with the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita under greenhouse conditions to determine greenhouse performance by analyzing earliness and total yield as well as plant-growth parameters. In general, the yield and growth of non-grafted plants were significantly reduced, compared with grafted plants. Earliness and total yield were increased in grafted cucumber cultivars (by 53-120% and 87-209%, respectively, in cv. Marathon F-1 and by 20-100% and 54-154%, respectively, in cv. Assos F-1), compared with control plants. Likewise, plant-growth and development parameters were improved in grafted plants, compared with controls. These data suggest that grafted plants prevent the reduction in cucumber yield caused by continuous cropping due to soil-borne pathogens