Aspects of Grafting Influence on Carbon and Nitrogen Movement of Some Pear (Pyrus sativa) Cultivars

Abstract

Among carbon and nitrogen contents, the interaction residing in the Interdependence Theory is one of the important components of plants. To elucidate how grafting influences the flow of carbon from shoots to tree roots and nitrogen from the roots to the shoots two sets of tests were carried out that have targeted the dosage of soluble sugars (to emphasize the relative flow of carbon) and nitrogen content dosage around the grafting union area. After many laboratory analyses, we obtained average values that reflect the dynamics of soluble sugars content depending on grafting, namely: 24% in the scion, 41% into the union area and 35% in the rootstock, in a ratio of about 1:1.7:1.4. In what concerns the total nitrogen content, we observed that the values are very similar between variants. Instead, somewhat higher nitrogen quantities (36%) were obtained in the rootstocks compared to the union area (32%) and scions (32%) representing a ratio of 1:1:1.1. Performing our experiments we found that the distribution of soluble sugars and nitrogen, in particular, in the grafting union area and the flow of photoassimilates and mineral elements, in general, for first year grafted trees depends not so much on the compatibility between scion and rootstock, but on grafting itself. Furthermore, we concluded that grafting itself is a barrier in photoassimilates and mineral elements flow in trees.