Abstract
Grafting of watermelons has been used in many countries to provide control of, or resistance to, certain soil borne diseases such as Fusarium wilt. The impact of grafting on postharvest quality has not been thoroughly examined. This report deals with the comparison of the costs of production between grafted versus conventional watermelons and the potential net revenue of the two. A 2-year study was conducted on the effects of grafting watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ) onto rootstocks of squash and gourd at Lane, Okla., in both 2004 and 2005. Details of the research methodology are outlined in “Year Two: Effects of Grafting on Watermelon Yield and Quality” by Roberts et al. Costs of using grafted transplants increased the costs of production from $1,209 to $1,914 or $705/acre at 1,500 plants/acre. Results of the 2-year study indicated grafted watermelons had slightly lower yields per acre, similar sugar in some grafted combinations the first year but slightly lower the second year, similar lycopene content, and much higher firmness. Results of a 10-day storage study indicated that firmness of fresh-cut flesh for all watermelons declined after ten days on the shelf. However, the grafted watermelon flesh was firmer after ten days than the nongrafted fruit at the beginning of the ten days. This improved shelf life should interest the cut-fruit industry and should lead to contract price enhancement for the growers. A market price of $0.02/lb for grafted watermelons above the market price of nongrafted watermelons would be needed to provide similar net revenues at the same yield per acre.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Grafted transplants raised production cost from $1,209 to $1,914, a $705/acre increase.
- Taxon
- watermelon
Citrullus lanatuse1 - Treatment
- grafted transplantse0
- Outcome
- costs of productione0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Value
- $705/acree0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Costs of using grafted transplants increased the costs of production from $1,209 to $1,914 or $705/acre at 1,500 plants/acre”
e1“grafting watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafted watermelons had slightly lower yield per acre.
- Taxon
- watermelonsCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- graftede0
- Outcome
- yields per acree0
- Direction
- slightly lowere0
- Comparator
- conventional watermelonse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grafted watermelons had slightly lower yields per acre”
e1“grafted versus conventional watermelons”
Claim · model-written summary
Some graft combinations had similar sugar in the first year.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- grafted combinationse0
- Outcome
- sugare0
- Direction
- similare0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“similar sugar in some grafted combinations the first year”
e1“grafting watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
Claim · model-written summary
Sugar was slightly lower in the second year.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- grafted combinationse0
- Outcome
- sugare0
- Direction
- slightly lowere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“similar sugar in some grafted combinations the first year but slightly lower the second year”
e1“grafting watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus )”
Claim · model-written summary
Lycopene content was similar in grafted and conventional watermelon.
- Taxon
- watermelonsCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- graftede1
- Outcome
- lycopene contente0
- Direction
- similare0
- Comparator
- conventional watermelonse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“similar lycopene content”
e1“grafted versus conventional watermelons”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafted watermelons had much higher firmness.
- Taxon
- watermelonsCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- graftede0
- Outcome
- firmnesse0
- Direction
- much highere0
- Comparator
- conventional watermelonse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grafted watermelons had slightly lower yields per acre, similar sugar in some grafted combinations the first year but slightly lower the second year, similar lycopene content, and much higher firmness”
e1“grafted versus conventional watermelons”
Claim · model-written summary
Fresh-cut watermelon flesh firmness declined after ten days of storage.
- Taxon
- watermelonsCitrullus lanatuse0
- Outcome
- firmness of fresh-cut fleshe0
- Direction
- declinede0
- Qualifier
- after ten days on the shelfe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“firmness of fresh-cut flesh for all watermelons declined after ten days on the shelf”
Claim · model-written summary
After ten days, grafted flesh was firmer than nongrafted flesh at the beginning of storage.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- graftede0
- Outcome
- fleshe0
- Direction
- firmere0
- Qualifier
- after ten dayse0
- Comparator
- nongrafted fruite0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the grafted watermelon flesh was firmer after ten days than the nongrafted fruit at the beginning of the ten days”
Claim · model-written summary
A $0.02/lb grafted-watermelon price premium would equalize net revenue at the same yield.
- Taxon
- watermelonsCitrullus lanatuse0
- Outcome
- similar net revenuese0
- Value
- $0.02/lbe0
- Qualifier
- at the same yield per acree0
- Comparator
- nongrafted watermelonse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“A market price of $0.02/lb for grafted watermelons above the market price of nongrafted watermelons would be needed to provide similar net revenues at the same yield per acre”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors expected improved shelf life to support contract price enhancement.
- Taxon
- watermelonsCitrullus lanatuse1
- Outcome
- contract price enhancement for the growerse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“This improved shelf life should interest the cut-fruit industry and should lead to contract price enhancement for the growers”
e1“grafted watermelons had slightly lower yields per acre”
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See all 23 papers →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.