Evaluation of Grafted Tomatoes with Different Levels of Resistance of Rootstocks to TYLCV by Analyzing the Growth Characteristics, Leaf-macronutrient Content, and Chlorophyll Fluorescence

Abstract

The grafting technique has widely been used with fruits and vegetables in an effort to increase productivity for long-term cultivation. For long-term cultivation, the result is increased vigor provided by the rootstock, which allows the scion to grow longer, even in the presence of a virus. This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of rootstocks having different TYLCVresistance levels by comparatively analyzing the growth, yield, nutrient concentration in the petiole sap, and chlorophyll fluorescence in tomatoes grown via a hydroponics system. The domestic cultivars 'HSF4' and 'BWM' were used as the TYLCV-susceptible rootstocks, and '21LM' and '21A701' were used as the TYLCV-resistant rootstocks. The tomato variety 'Red250' was used as the TYLCV-resistant scion and the non-grafted control plants. The tomato plants were infected overall with TYLCV at ten weeks after transplanting. Grafted tomatoes on the TYLCV-resistant rootstocks '21A701' and '21LM' were vigorous, and the yields were 7,999g and 7,754g respectively, correspondingly higher by 25% and 22% than those using the TYLCV-susceptible rootstock 'BWM'. Moreover, the growth strength of '21A701' was highest compared to the others. The NO 3 -N concentration of '21A701' was highest at 1,211mg•L -1 , and that of 'BWM' was lowest at