Effects of reciprocal grafting on the growth and cadmium accumulation in post-grafting generations of two cherry tomatoes

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this study, pot experiments were conducted to study the effects of reciprocal grafting on the growth and Cd accumulation in post-grafting generations of two cherry tomatoes – red (Red cherry 5-5-1-1) and yellow (RTY-3-2) cherry tomatoes. Six treatments, which consisted of ungrafted red cherry tomato (R-CK), ungrafted yellow cherry tomato (Y-CK), red cherry tomato as rootstock (R-rootstock), red cherry tomato as scion (R-scion), yellow cherry tomato as rootstock (Y- rootstock), and yellow cherry tomato as scion (Y-scion) were utilised. The results showed that grafting significantly decreased the root biomass of Y- rootstock and Y-scion as compared to that of Y-CK, but there were no differences in the shoot biomass. Compared with that of Y-CK, grafting increased the root Cd content of the post-grafting generations, specifically, Y- rootstock and Y-scion increased by 54.44% and 52.96%, respectively. There were no significant differences in the shoot Cd content of Y- rootstock, Y-scion, and Y-CK. The root, stem, leaf, and shoot biomass of R-rootstock increased by 14.17%, 76.23%, 36.47%, and 21.72%, respectively, as compared with that of R-CK. However, grafting had no significant effect on the root, stem, leaf, and shoot biomass of R-scion. Grafting significantly increased the root Cd content of R-rootstock. However, grafting significantly decreased the shoot Cd content of R-rootstock, with the value 26.18% lower than that of R-CK. The root Cd content of R-scion significantly increased compared with the R-CK, and the shoot Cd content had no differences. Therefore, the reciprocal grafting of the two cherry tomatoes promoted the growth and reduced the Cd uptake of R-rootstock. Findings from this study could be used to provide a reference for the safe production of tomatoes in heavy metal-contaminated soils.