Abstract
This study aimed to assess the morphological and physio-biochemical responses of a commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai) cv. ‘Crimson Sweet’ grafted onto a drought-tolerant rootstock of wild watermelon (bitter apple, Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad, ‘Esfahan’) in comparison with an ungrafted ‘Crimson Sweet’ watermelon or one grafted onto a commercial interspecific Cucurbita hybrid (Cucurbita maxima Duch. × Cucurbita moschata Duch.) rootstock (‘Shintoza’) under water stress. The experiment was conducted in pots under a controlled environment in a greenhouse, and water stress was imposed by maintaining moisture level in pots at 100% (well water (WW)) or 50% (water deficit (WD)) of container capacity (CC). WD significantly decreased most of the morphological traits in ungrafted and grafted plants, while the decrease in growth traits was lower in grafted plants than ungrafted plants. The response of grafted plants onto wild watermelon rootstock (‘Esfahan’) for most of the affected parameters (shoot fresh and dry weight, vine length and internodal length) was, however, comparable to those grafted onto commercial Cucurbita hybrid rootstock (‘Shintoza’). Plants grafted onto bitter apple (wild watermelon) exhibited a relatively lower decrease in growth and biomass, besides showing higher antioxidant activity (e.g., guaiacol peroxidase) concomitant with the lower accumulation of malondialdehyde and electrolyte leakage in the leaf tissues in comparison with ungrafted plants. The overall growth performance, as well as those under water stress conditions in commercial rootstock-grafted watermelon, was related to its better plant water status (e.g., high relative water content) which was likely ascertained by its greater root efficiency. This suggests that watermelons grafted onto bitter apple rootstock and Cucurbita hybrid rootstock were constitutively more resistant to drought, with higher efficiency in mitigating oxidative stress than ungrafted treatment. The above findings demonstrated that bitter apple, a well-adapted desert species, can be used as an alternative rootstock to commercial rootstocks (e.g., ‘Shintoza’) for watermelon grafting under water stress conditions. In addition, bitter apple rootstock can be involved in rootstock breeding programs to improve drought tolerance in watermelon.
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Claims 13
Claim · model-written summary
Water deficit significantly decreased most morphological traits in grafted and ungrafted watermelon.
- Taxon
- watermelon
Citrullus lanatuse1 - Treatment
- WDe0
- Outcome
- morphological traitse0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“WD significantly decreased most of the morphological traits in ungrafted and grafted plants”
e1“commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai)”
Claim · model-written summary
Growth traits decreased less in grafted than ungrafted watermelon under water deficit.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- grafted plantse0
- Outcome
- growth traitse0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- ungrafted plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the decrease in growth traits was lower in grafted plants than ungrafted plants”
e1“commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai)”
Claim · model-written summary
Esfahan and Shintoza grafts had comparable shoot weight, vine length and internodal length responses.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse2
- Treatment
- wild watermelon rootstock (‘Esfahan’)e1
- Outcome
- shoot fresh and dry weight, vine length and internodal lengthe0
- Direction
- comparablee0
- Comparator
- commercial Cucurbita hybrid rootstock (‘Shintoza’)e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“shoot fresh and dry weight, vine length and internodal length) was, however, comparable to those grafted onto commercial Cucurbita hybrid rootstock (‘Shintoza’)”
e1“wild watermelon rootstock (‘Esfahan’)”
e2“commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai)”
Claim · model-written summary
Bitter apple grafts had a smaller decline in growth and biomass than ungrafted plants.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse2
- Treatment
- bitter apple (wild watermelon)e0
- Outcome
- growth and biomasse0
- Direction
- lower decreasee0
- Comparator
- ungrafted plantse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Plants grafted onto bitter apple (wild watermelon) exhibited a relatively lower decrease in growth and biomass”
e1“in comparison with ungrafted plants”
e2“commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai)”
Claim · model-written summary
Bitter apple grafts showed higher antioxidant activity than ungrafted plants.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse3
- Treatment
- bitter apple (wild watermelon)e2
- Gene
- guaiacol peroxidasee0
- Outcome
- antioxidant activitye0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- ungrafted plantse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“showing higher antioxidant activity (e.g., guaiacol peroxidase)”
e1“in comparison with ungrafted plants”
e2“Plants grafted onto bitter apple (wild watermelon)”
e3“commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai)”
Claim · model-written summary
Bitter apple grafts accumulated less malondialdehyde than ungrafted plants.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse2
- Organ / stage
- leaf tissuese0
- Treatment
- bitter apple (wild watermelon)e1
- Outcome
- accumulation of malondialdehydee0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- ungrafted plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“lower accumulation of malondialdehyde and electrolyte leakage in the leaf tissues in comparison with ungrafted plants”
e1“Plants grafted onto bitter apple (wild watermelon)”
e2“commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai)”
Claim · model-written summary
Bitter apple grafts had less leaf electrolyte leakage than ungrafted plants.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse2
- Organ / stage
- leaf tissuese0
- Treatment
- bitter apple (wild watermelon)e1
- Outcome
- electrolyte leakagee0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- ungrafted plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“lower accumulation of malondialdehyde and electrolyte leakage in the leaf tissues in comparison with ungrafted plants”
e1“Plants grafted onto bitter apple (wild watermelon)”
e2“commercial watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai)”
Claim · model-written summary
Commercial rootstock grafts had better water status, including high relative water content, associated with overall and drought growth performance.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Material
- commercial rootstock-grafted watermelone0
- Outcome
- overall growth performancee0
- Qualifier
- better plant water statuse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The overall growth performance, as well as those under water stress conditions in commercial rootstock-grafted watermelon, was related to its better plant water status (e.g., high relative water content)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors attributed commercial rootstock graft performance to greater root efficiency.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Material
- commercial rootstock-grafted watermelone1
- Outcome
- greater root efficiencye0
- Qualifier
- likelye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“which was likely ascertained by its greater root efficiency”
e1“commercial rootstock-grafted watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors inferred that bitter apple and Cucurbita hybrid grafts were more drought resistant than ungrafted plants.
- Taxon
- watermelonsCitrullus lanatuse0
- Material
- bitter apple rootstock and Cucurbita hybrid rootstocke0
- Outcome
- resistant to droughte0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- ungrafted treatmente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“watermelons grafted onto bitter apple rootstock and Cucurbita hybrid rootstock were constitutively more resistant to drought”
e1“than ungrafted treatment”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors inferred greater oxidative stress mitigation in grafted than ungrafted watermelon.
- Taxon
- watermelonsCitrullus lanatuse1
- Material
- bitter apple rootstock and Cucurbita hybrid rootstocke1
- Outcome
- efficiency in mitigating oxidative stresse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- ungrafted treatmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“with higher efficiency in mitigating oxidative stress than ungrafted treatment”
e1“watermelons grafted onto bitter apple rootstock and Cucurbita hybrid rootstock”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend bitter apple as an alternative watermelon rootstock under water stress.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Material
- bitter applee0
- Outcome
- alternative rootstock to commercial rootstockse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“bitter apple, a well-adapted desert species, can be used as an alternative rootstock to commercial rootstocks (e.g., ‘Shintoza’) for watermelon grafting under water stress conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend using bitter apple rootstock in breeding to improve watermelon drought tolerance.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Material
- bitter apple rootstocke0
- Outcome
- rootstock breeding programs to improve drought tolerancee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“bitter apple rootstock can be involved in rootstock breeding programs to improve drought tolerance in watermelon”
The same questions in other papers
Citrullus colocynthis · growth · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
grafting · growth · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Results differ
61 papers in the same direction as this paper · 7 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- no effect
65 papers more in this group
See all 69 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.