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Title: Grafting for disease resistance

Author
item KING, STEPHEN - TEXAS A&M
item Davis, Angela
item LAMOLINARE, BUBBA - TEXAS A&M
item LIU, WENGE - CHINESE ACADEMY AGRI. SCI
item Levi, Amnon

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/8/2007
Publication Date: 7/1/2007
Citation: King, S.R., Davis, A.R., Lamolinare, B., Liu, W., Levi, A. 2007. Grafting for disease resistance [abstract]. HortScience. 42(4):802.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The primary purpose of grafting vegetables worldwide has been to provide resistance to soilborne diseases. The potential loss of methyl bromide as a soil fumigant combined with pathogen resistance to commonly used pesticides will make resistance to soil born pathogens even more important in the future. The major disease problems that have been addressed by grafting include Fusarium, Verticillium, Monosporascus and MNSV. If the area devoted to grafting increases in the future, there will likely be a shift in the soil microbial environment that could lead to the development of new diseases or changes in the pathogen population of current diseases. There have been reports of Fusarium attacking certain varieties of Lagenaria siceraria which were previously considered resistant to this disease. We have also found that cucurbit rootstocks can transmit Watermelon Fruit Blotch, a common seed born disease of cucurbits. While most watermelon seed lots are tested for the presence of WFB, it is not known how extensive testing is on rootstocks for the presence of this disease. While grafting can control many common diseases, the ultimate success will likely depend on how well we monitor for changes in the pathogen population and other unexpected consequences.