Abstract
Two field experiments were carried out in 2022 and 2023 within commercial watermelon fields in Stockton and Modesto, CA, USA. Two Trichoderma-containing products were applied to the grafted and nongrafted watermelon seedlings through tray soaking or field chemigation. All seedlings were mechanically transplanted into a split-split plot design with the Trichoderma product as the main factor and application method (tray soaking and chemigation) as the sub-plot. The sub-sub-factor included three interspecific hybrid squash rootstocks ( Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata ) ‘Cobalt’, ‘Flexifort’, and ‘RS841’ that were grafted with the commercial seedless watermelon scion ‘Summer Breeze’. All treatments were replicated four times. Vine health was visually assessed three times, and canopy coverage was assessed for a total of six measurements for each year. Harvest was conducted three times in 2022 and twice in 2023 to analyze yield and quality differences among treatments. Aboveground and root samples from defective plants were taken amid the harvest and shipped to the University of California, Davis Fungal Pathology Diagnostics Research Laboratory for identification of soilborne fungal pathogens to confirm or rule out their involvement in vine declines initially attributed to nonpathogenic factors. The laboratory diagnosis indicated that Macrophomina was morphologically identified from the foot and root isolations of 67% of the submitted nongrafted, non-Trichoderma-biofungicide–treated plants in 2022. Further sequencing results confirmed the primary pathogen, Macrophomina phaseolina , from 50% of those submitted plant samples. In addition, putative Fusarium root and stem rot ( Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radices-cucurmerinum ) and Falciforme crown rot and decline ( Fusarium noneumartii ) from runners and roots of nongrafted, noninoculated plants in the 2022 experiment were also reported. However, no significant soilborne fungal pathogens were found in the 2023 experiment. In both trials, the effects of Trichoderma-containing biofungicides and their application methods on preventing vine decline, maintaining canopy coverage, and enhancing fruit yield and quality were not as remarkable as grafting. The average grafting effect contributed to 83% and 53% decrease of vine decline compared with the nongrafted plants in 2022 and 2023. Overall, grafted plants yielded 47.6% and 32.4% more than the nongrafted counterpart in 2022 and 2023, respectively. In addition, grafting exerted predominant influence on fruit firmness and rind thickness. The study results indicated that grafting onto multipathogen resistance watermelon rootstocks serves as an effective production tool to maintain fruit yield, quality, and plant health under both pathogenic and disease-free conditions. Further work is still needed to continue evaluating best practical application protocols of Trichoderma-based biofungicides and other biopesticides to enhance product effectiveness and end users’ confidence in reducing soilborne diseases and reliance on conventional fumigants.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Macrophomina was morphologically identified in 67% of submitted nongrafted, untreated plants in 2022.
- Taxon
- watermelon
Citrullus lanatust0 - Organ / stage
- foot and roote0
- Interactor
- Macrophomina
Macrophominae0pathogen - Outcome
- Macrophomina was morphologically identifiede0
- Value
- 67%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Macrophomina was morphologically identified from the foot and root isolations of 67% of the submitted nongrafted, non-Trichoderma-biofungicide–treated plants in 2022”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Sequencing confirmed Macrophomina phaseolina in 50% of those submitted samples.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Interactor
- Macrophomina phaseolinaMacrophomina phaseolinae0pathogen
- Outcome
- Macrophomina phaseolinae0
- Value
- 50%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“sequencing results confirmed the primary pathogen, Macrophomina phaseolina , from 50% of those submitted plant samples”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Putative Fusarium root and stem rot was reported in nongrafted, noninoculated plants in 2022.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Interactor
- Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radices-cucurmerinum
_(Fusarium_oxysporum_f.sp._batatas)_1234227-PPT-Clemson_University.jpg?width=60)
Fusarium oxysporume0pathogen - Outcome
- Fusarium root and stem rote0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
_(Fusarium_oxysporum_f.sp._batatas)_1234227-PPT-Clemson_University.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“putative Fusarium root and stem rot ( Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radices-cucurmerinum ) and Falciforme crown rot and decline ( Fusarium noneumartii ) from runners and roots of nongrafted, noninoculated plants in the 2022 experiment were also reported”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Putative Falciforme crown rot and decline was reported in nongrafted, noninoculated plants in 2022.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Interactor
- Fusarium noneumartiiFusarium noneumartiie0pathogen
- Outcome
- Falciforme crown rot and declinee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Falciforme crown rot and decline ( Fusarium noneumartii ) from runners and roots of nongrafted, noninoculated plants in the 2022 experiment were also reported”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
No significant soilborne fungal pathogens were found in the 2023 trial.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Outcome
- soilborne fungal pathogense0
- Setting
- 2023 experimente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“no significant soilborne fungal pathogens were found in the 2023 experiment”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Trichoderma products and application methods were less remarkable than grafting for vine decline, canopy cover, fruit yield, and quality.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- Trichoderma-containing biofungicidese0
- Interactor
- Trichoderma
Trichodermae0biocontrol_agent - Outcome
- vine decline, maintaining canopy coverage, and enhancing fruit yield and qualitye0
- Direction
- not as remarkable ase0
- Comparator
- graftinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the effects of Trichoderma-containing biofungicides and their application methods on preventing vine decline, maintaining canopy coverage, and enhancing fruit yield and quality were not as remarkable as grafting”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting decreased vine decline by 83% in 2022 versus nongrafted plants.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- graftinge0
- Outcome
- vine declinee0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 83%e0
- Comparator
- nongrafted plantse0
- Setting
- 2022e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The average grafting effect contributed to 83% and 53% decrease of vine decline compared with the nongrafted plants in 2022 and 2023”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting decreased vine decline by 53% in 2023 versus nongrafted plants.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- graftinge0
- Outcome
- vine declinee0
- Direction
- decreasee0
- Value
- 53%e0
- Comparator
- nongrafted plantse0
- Setting
- 2023e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The average grafting effect contributed to 83% and 53% decrease of vine decline compared with the nongrafted plants in 2022 and 2023”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafted plants yielded 47.6% more than nongrafted plants in 2022.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- grafted plantse0
- Outcome
- yieldede0
- Direction
- moree0
- Value
- 47.6%e0
- Comparator
- nongrafted counterparte0
- Setting
- 2022e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grafted plants yielded 47.6% and 32.4% more than the nongrafted counterpart in 2022 and 2023, respectively”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafted plants yielded 32.4% more than nongrafted plants in 2023.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- grafted plantse0
- Outcome
- yieldede0
- Direction
- moree0
- Value
- 32.4%e0
- Comparator
- nongrafted counterparte0
- Setting
- 2023e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grafted plants yielded 47.6% and 32.4% more than the nongrafted counterpart in 2022 and 2023, respectively”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting predominantly influenced fruit firmness and rind thickness.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatust0
- Treatment
- graftinge0
- Outcome
- fruit firmness and rind thicknesse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grafting exerted predominant influence on fruit firmness and rind thickness”
t0“watermelon”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors consider grafting onto multipathogen resistant watermelon rootstocks effective for yield, quality, and health under pathogenic and disease-free conditions.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Outcome
- grafting onto multipathogen resistance watermelon rootstockse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“grafting onto multipathogen resistance watermelon rootstocks serves as an effective production tool to maintain fruit yield, quality, and plant health under both pathogenic and disease-free conditions”
The same questions in other papers
grafting · yield · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Results differ
58 papers in the same direction as this paper · 7 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- no effect
62 papers more in this group
See all 66 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.