Researchers around the world have demonstrated that grafting can protect plants against a variety of soil-borne diseases in various climates and conditions. Grafting has been successfully implemented in many countries to battle diseases such as Verticillium and Fusarium wilt, corky root rot and bacterial wilt, among others. Along with maintaining high fruit quality, tomato grafting can also help overcome abiotic stressors, such as high salinity, excess moisture and soil temperature extremes, even allowing the extension of the growing season.
SARE has a new fact sheet, Tomato Grafting for Disease Resistance and Increased Productivity, that helps farmers and agricultural educators learn how to graft tomatoes to fight disease and improve the health and vigor of tomato crops.
Growers interested in experimenting with this novel approach of improving resistance to soil-borne pathogens will find:
• Helpful tips for grafting plants, including variety selection based on
resistance to particular diseases, step-by-step grafting techniques and caring
for grafted plants;
• Instructions for building a healing chamber for newly grafted plants, and for
transplanting them to the field;
• An analysis of the economic viability of grafting under different conditions.
Still a relatively uncommon practice in the United States, researchers around
the world have demonstrated that grafting can protect plants against a variety of soil-borne fungal, bacterial, viral and nematode diseases, such as Verticillium and Fusarium wilt (FW), corky root rot, root-knot nematodes, bacterial wilt, southern blight and other diseases.
Grafting is on the rise in the United States, since it has been shown to successfully manage bacterial wilt in tomatoes, even in severely infested soils.
In western North Carolina, for example, a resistant rootstock was used to reduce bacterial wilt in tomatoes: At season's end, nearly 90 percent of the control plants died while 100 percent of the grafted plants not only survived, but their yield was more than two fold that of the surviving non-grafted plants.
Want more information? See the related SARE grant(s) GS05-046, Inducing Disease Resistance and Increased Production in Organic Heirloom Tomato Production Through Grafting, GS07-060, Potential of grafting to improve nutrient management of heirloom tomatoes on organic farms, LS06-193, Grafting Rootstocks onto Heirloom and Locally Adapted Tomato Selections to Confer Resistance to Root-knot Nematodes and other Soil Borne Diseases and to Increase Nutrient Uptake Efficiency in an Intensive Farming System for Market Gardeners, and OS09-046, Grafting Heirloom Tomatoes on Disease Resistant Rootstock in Western North Carolina.
Go to SARE's Learning Center for these and other publications.
http://bit.ly/uoHJOT
Showing posts with label grafting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grafting. Show all posts
Monday, December 5, 2011
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tomato Grafting Workshop
Yesterday I took part in a Tomato Grafting Workshop** with Tom Elmore from Thatchmore Farms and Dr. Jeanine Davis from NCSU (both pictured below right). It was a great afternoon! Abo
ut 20 people were in attendance at Reems Creek Nursery in Weaverville to learn about the process and applicability of grafting in vegetables.
The reasons for grafting vegetables are similar to the reasons why fruit trees and other woody perennials are grafted: for disease resistance and/or increased vigor. Tom explained that there are rootstock available from seed companies that were developed for grafting purposes with increased vigor and resistance to multiple diseases such as bacterial wilt, Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt and nematodes. We also discussed that it is important to get positive identification of a disease problem in order to properly chose your rootstock.
Tom shared a video from the University of Vermont that demonstrated the grafting process as well as different grafting techniques. Tom also discussed his experience with grafting, explaining his success with grafting vigorous and healthy plants in his greenhouse after many years in tomato production. He explained that the grafted plants reminded him of the way his tomatoes used to look. Tom is planning to plant grafted tomatoes in the field next season, as well as in his greenhouse.
Dr. Davis and I discussed some different aspects of grafting in vegetables, including why you would want to graft and the research that is being currently being done to address this topic. Dr. Davis talked
about the applicability of grafting heirloom tomatoes onto disease resistant rootstocks because of the lack of genetic disease resistance available in heirloom varieties. I talked a little about the history of grafting and the applicability of grafting for cucurbits (left, grafted cucumber). Grafting of watermelon on gourd rootstock for the control of Fusarium wilt has been taking place since the 1920s in Japan and Korea!
After a great discussion with the audience, Tom graced us with a performance of his tomato grafting technique (right). We joked that if this organic farming thing doesn't take off then Tom has a future as a surgeon!
Finally, it was our turn to try. I was lucky to find a participant who was nice enough to act as a hand model/demonstrator of the grafting technique.
Below is a series of pictures of the grafting. First, the stem of the rootstock and scion (the top of the plant- this is the one whose fruit you are desiring) are sliced at a 45 degree angle. Next, a clip is placed on the rootstock. Then, the scion is slipped into the clip gently. The goal here is to align the vascular system of the rootstock and scion as seamlessly as possible trying to ensure that the graft will take. Finally, you have a finished product!
It is important to care for your grafted plants with great attention. Think about it, the scion has been separated from its root system! The plants should be kept in a low light and high humidity setting. This will slow the transpiration of the plant and help the scion from becoming water stressed during this fragile period. Eventually, the graft union will heal and gradually more and more light and less humidity will be added. After the plants harden off, they are ready to be transplanted into the ground or greenhouse. The grafting process adds about a week to the transplant system- so plan accordingly!
Supplies for grafting, including clips and rootstock and heirloom tomato seeds can be purchased through Johnny's Selected Seeds.
To learn more about grafting:
ut 20 people were in attendance at Reems Creek Nursery in Weaverville to learn about the process and applicability of grafting in vegetables.The reasons for grafting vegetables are similar to the reasons why fruit trees and other woody perennials are grafted: for disease resistance and/or increased vigor. Tom explained that there are rootstock available from seed companies that were developed for grafting purposes with increased vigor and resistance to multiple diseases such as bacterial wilt, Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt and nematodes. We also discussed that it is important to get positive identification of a disease problem in order to properly chose your rootstock.
Tom shared a video from the University of Vermont that demonstrated the grafting process as well as different grafting techniques. Tom also discussed his experience with grafting, explaining his success with grafting vigorous and healthy plants in his greenhouse after many years in tomato production. He explained that the grafted plants reminded him of the way his tomatoes used to look. Tom is planning to plant grafted tomatoes in the field next season, as well as in his greenhouse.
Dr. Davis and I discussed some different aspects of grafting in vegetables, including why you would want to graft and the research that is being currently being done to address this topic. Dr. Davis talked
about the applicability of grafting heirloom tomatoes onto disease resistant rootstocks because of the lack of genetic disease resistance available in heirloom varieties. I talked a little about the history of grafting and the applicability of grafting for cucurbits (left, grafted cucumber). Grafting of watermelon on gourd rootstock for the control of Fusarium wilt has been taking place since the 1920s in Japan and Korea!
After a great discussion with the audience, Tom graced us with a performance of his tomato grafting technique (right). We joked that if this organic farming thing doesn't take off then Tom has a future as a surgeon!
Finally, it was our turn to try. I was lucky to find a participant who was nice enough to act as a hand model/demonstrator of the grafting technique.
Below is a series of pictures of the grafting. First, the stem of the rootstock and scion (the top of the plant- this is the one whose fruit you are desiring) are sliced at a 45 degree angle. Next, a clip is placed on the rootstock. Then, the scion is slipped into the clip gently. The goal here is to align the vascular system of the rootstock and scion as seamlessly as possible trying to ensure that the graft will take. Finally, you have a finished product!
It is important to care for your grafted plants with great attention. Think about it, the scion has been separated from its root system! The plants should be kept in a low light and high humidity setting. This will slow the transpiration of the plant and help the scion from becoming water stressed during this fragile period. Eventually, the graft union will heal and gradually more and more light and less humidity will be added. After the plants harden off, they are ready to be transplanted into the ground or greenhouse. The grafting process adds about a week to the transplant system- so plan accordingly!
Supplies for grafting, including clips and rootstock and heirloom tomato seeds can be purchased through Johnny's Selected Seeds.
To learn more about grafting:
- Grafting for Disease Resistance in Heirloom Tomatoes, Cary Rivard and Frank Louws (NCSU)
- Grafting Greenhouse Tomatoes, Vern Grubinger (UVM)
- Use of Grafting Makes a Combeack, Harold Passam (Ag. Univ. of Athens, Greece)
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Sue Colucci
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