Abstract
SummaryIn many irrigated areas of the Mediterranean region, farmers are forced to use saline water to irrigate their crops due to an inadequate supply of fresh water. Grafting may represent an effective tool to improve crop tolerance to salinity. Two greenhouse experiments were carried out to determine yield, fruit quality and mineral composition of melon plants (Cucumis melo L. cv. 'Cyrano'), either ungrafted or grafted onto the commercial rootstock 'P360' (Cucurbita maxima C. moschata) and cultured in pumice. Plants were supplied with nutrient solutions having electrical conductivities (EC) of 2.0, 4.0, 5.9, 7.8 or 9.7 dS m–1. The saline nutrient solutions (those > 2.0 dS m–1) had the same basic composition, plus an additional 20, 40, 60 or 80 mM NaCl, respectively. In both years (2003 and 2004), increased salinity in the nutrient solution resulted in a linear decrease in marketable yield compared to controls that was due to reductions in the size and number of marketable fruits. Averaged across years and nutrient solution concentrations, marketable fruit yield was 44% higher in grafted than in ungrafted plants. The lowest marketable yield recorded in ungrafted plants was associated with a reduction in both mean fruit weight and in the number of fruits per plant compared to grafted plants. Salinity improved fruit quality in both grafting combinations by increasing firmness, dry matter (DM), acidity and total soluble solids (TSS) contents. The nutritional qualities of grafted melons such as fruit DM, titratable acidity and TSS content were slightly inferior compared to those of ungrafted plants, whereas physical qualities such as fruit firmness and Hunter colour values (L* and a*/b*) were superior compared to those of plants grown with their own roots. Grafted plants could reduce leaf Na+ ion, but not Cl– ion, concentrations. However, the sensitivity to salinity was similar between grafted and ungrafted plants, and the higher marketable yield from grafted plants was mainly due to grafting per se.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing salinity linearly decreased marketable yield relative to controls.
- Taxon
- melon plants
.jpg?width=60)
Cucumis melot0 - Treatment
- increased salinity in the nutrient solutione0
- Outcome
- marketable yielde0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Comparator
- controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“increased salinity in the nutrient solution resulted in a linear decrease in marketable yield compared to controls”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity reduced the size and number of marketable fruits.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- increased salinity in the nutrient solutione0
- Outcome
- size and number of marketable fruitse0
- Direction
- reductionse0
- Comparator
- controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“increased salinity in the nutrient solution resulted in a linear decrease in marketable yield compared to controls that was due to reductions in the size and number of marketable fruits”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafted melon plants had 44% higher marketable fruit yield than ungrafted plants.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- graftede0
- Outcome
- marketable fruit yielde0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 44%e0
- Comparator
- ungrafted plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“marketable fruit yield was 44% higher in grafted than in ungrafted plants”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
At the lowest yield, ungrafted plants had lower mean fruit weight and fruits per plant than grafted plants.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- ungrafted plantse0
- Outcome
- mean fruit weight and in the number of fruits per plante0
- Direction
- reductione0
- Comparator
- grafted plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The lowest marketable yield recorded in ungrafted plants was associated with a reduction in both mean fruit weight and in the number of fruits per plant compared to grafted plants.”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Salinity increased fruit firmness, dry matter, acidity and soluble solids in both grafting combinations.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Salinitye0
- Outcome
- firmness, dry matter (DM), acidity and total soluble solids (TSS) contentse0
- Direction
- increasinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Salinity improved fruit quality in both grafting combinations by increasing firmness, dry matter (DM), acidity and total soluble solids (TSS) contents.”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafted fruit had slightly inferior dry matter, titratable acidity and soluble solids relative to ungrafted fruit.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- grafted melonse0
- Outcome
- fruit DM, titratable acidity and TSS contente0
- Direction
- slightly inferiore0
- Comparator
- ungrafted plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The nutritional qualities of grafted melons such as fruit DM, titratable acidity and TSS content were slightly inferior compared to those of ungrafted plants”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafted fruit had superior firmness and Hunter colour values relative to fruit grown on its own roots.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- grafted melonse1
- Outcome
- fruit firmness and Hunter colour values (L* and a*/b*)e0
- Direction
- superiore0
- Comparator
- plants grown with their own rootse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“physical qualities such as fruit firmness and Hunter colour values (L* and a*/b*) were superior compared to those of plants grown with their own roots.”
e1“The nutritional qualities of grafted melons”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting reduced leaf Na+ concentration.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Grafted plantse0
- Outcome
- leaf Na+ ione0
- Direction
- reducee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grafted plants could reduce leaf Na+ ion, but not Cl– ion, concentrations.”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting did not reduce leaf Cl– concentration.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- Grafted plantse0
- Outcome
- Cl– ion, concentrationse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Grafted plants could reduce leaf Na+ ion, but not Cl– ion, concentrations.”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafted and ungrafted plants had similar sensitivity to salinity.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Outcome
- sensitivity to salinitye0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- grafted and ungrafted plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the sensitivity to salinity was similar between grafted and ungrafted plants”
t0“melon plants”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attributed higher marketable yield of grafted plants chiefly to grafting itself.
- Taxon
- melon plantsCucumis melot0
- Treatment
- grafting per see0
- Outcome
- marketable yielde0
- Direction
- highere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the higher marketable yield from grafted plants was mainly due to grafting per se.”
t0“melon plants”
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Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.