Abstract
Abstract The production of grafted seedlings requires longer periods of time. The technique of mini-grafting onto rootstocks previously obtained from herbaceous cuttings can guarantee the genetic fidelity of scion and rootstock and allows grafting onto smaller-diameter stems, accelerating the time required to obtain seedlings. The aim of this study was to anticipate the formation of ‘Paluma’ guava seedlings grafted onto clonal rootstocks with smaller-diameter stems. Treatments consisted of grafting onto rootstocks with five stem diameter classes. The experimental design was randomised blocks with three replicates and five seedlings per plot. Rootstocks were produced from cuttings of herbaceous branches of mother plants originating from crossing between P. guineense and P. cattleianum. Mini-grafts were obtained from a clonal ‘Paluma’ guava mini-garden . Seedlings grafted onto rootstocks with stem diameters from 3.7 to 10.3 mm presented the same success rate however the greatest seedling vigour was observed when grafted onto larger-diameter rootstocks. Grafting success and seedling height show that mini-grafting onto clonal rootstocks with diameters from 3.7 to 5.5 mm allows producing seedlings suitable for transplanting 300 days after cutting.
Highlights
Brazil is the world’s fourth largest guava producer
With the advancement of ‘Guava decline’, a complex disease caused by Meloidogyne enterolobii nematode and subsequent infection by Neocosmospora falciformis soil fungus (GOMES et al, 2011; CASTRO, 2019; VELOSO et al, 2020), the propagation route of these seedlings has been rethought, as Psidum guajava has high susceptibility to this nematode (CARNEIRO et al, 2001; BIAZATTI et al, 2016)
In this context, obtaining seedlings through grafting may become mandatory, since the use of rootstocks resistant to M. enterolobii would allow the cultivation of guava trees in already contaminated areas (SOUZA et al, 2018) and studies aimed at the selection of interspecific hybrids with resistance genes for the phytonematode and genes that express rootstock compatibility with commercial guava scions have been carried out (COSTA et al, 2012; GOMES et al, 2017)
Summary
Brazil is the world’s fourth largest guava producer. Until the 1980s, guava propagation in the country was carried out by seminiferous route, as it is still performed in countries with expressive guava production such as Pakistan, which is the world’s third largest producer (PEREIRA et al, 2017; ALTENDORF, 2018). With the advancement of ‘Guava decline’, a complex disease caused by Meloidogyne enterolobii nematode and subsequent infection by Neocosmospora falciformis soil fungus (GOMES et al, 2011; CASTRO, 2019; VELOSO et al, 2020), the propagation route of these seedlings has been rethought, as Psidum guajava has high susceptibility to this nematode (CARNEIRO et al, 2001; BIAZATTI et al, 2016) In this context, obtaining seedlings through grafting may become mandatory, since the use of rootstocks resistant to M. enterolobii would allow the cultivation of guava trees in already contaminated areas (SOUZA et al, 2018) and studies aimed at the selection of interspecific hybrids with resistance genes for the phytonematode and genes that express rootstock compatibility with commercial guava scions have been carried out (COSTA et al, 2012; GOMES et al, 2017). In order to obtain seedlings grafted onto rootstocks compatible with guava and resistant to the nematode, rootstock propagation would need to be asexually performed
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