Abstract
BackgroundWater use efficiency (WUE) is becoming a decisive factor for agricultural expansion to face water shortage. To meet the needs of high population density in Egypt, we have to use modern irrigation systems and new cultivation technologies. The current study is aiming to apply grafting technique for ameliorating the impact of deficit water on cantaloupe productivity and fruit quality. Two commercial cultivars (Ideal and Veleta) were grafted on two rootstocks (Cobalt and Strong-Tosa) and self-grafting. The seedlings were treated with three different irrigation levels: 100, 75, and 50% of Class A pan Evapotranspiration (ETc).ResultsThe results showed that moderate irrigation level (75% ETc) increased the early yield, fruits number, by 15.3 and 17.4%, respectively, compared to control irrigation treatment (100% ETc). No significant variation was found concerning total yield between 100 and 75% ETc, so this led to an increase in WUE of moderate irrigation level (75% ETc) by 34.3%, compared to control irrigation treatment (100% ETc). Increasing deficit levels up to 50% ETc reduced the total yield by 47.4%, but it increased the WUE by 8.8%, compared to the non-deficit irrigation level (100% ETc). Meanwhile, grafting both cultivars on Cobalt rootstock improved the fruit number, total yield, and WUE by 39.2%, 26.9%, and 24.1%, respectively when irrigated with the moderate irrigation level (75% ETc), as compared to the non-grafted plants which recorded the highest decrease when irrigated with deficit irrigation level (50% ETc).ConclusionFinally, the combination treatments of Ideal/Strong-Tosa, Veleta/Cobalt, or Ideal/Cobalt irrigated with moderate irrigation level (75% ETc) increased the WUE by 97.3, 83.4, and 65%, respectively, compared to the control treatment (non-grafted plants of the same cv. at 100% ETc) and recorded higher flesh thickness, TSS and firmness.
Highlights
Water use efficiency (WUE) is becoming a decisive factor for agricultural expansion to face water shortage
Deficit irrigation had an opposite influence on production of fruits (Al-Mefleh et al 2012; de Azevedo 2016; Elvis et al 2017) and physical fruit quality expressed as weight, length, diameter average weight, and size are severely decreased (Zeng et al 2009; de Azevedo 2016 as well as on watermelon Ibrahim 2012 and Elvis et al 2017)
The present study was conducted to investigate the possibility of using grafting as a new promising technique for ameliorating the negative effects of deficit irrigation water on cantaloupe yield and fruit quality
Summary
Water use efficiency (WUE) is becoming a decisive factor for agricultural expansion to face water shortage. Deficit irrigation had an opposite influence on production of fruits (Al-Mefleh et al 2012; de Azevedo 2016; Elvis et al 2017) and physical fruit quality expressed as weight, length, diameter average weight, and size are severely decreased (Zeng et al 2009; de Azevedo 2016 as well as on watermelon Ibrahim 2012 and Elvis et al 2017) This leads the researcher to use some new trends to mitigate these negative impacts. Grafting vegetables on to resistant rootstocks offers numerous advantages on growth and yield, i.e., improving water use efficiency and tolerance to deficit irrigation (Wahb-Allah 2014; Özmen et al 2015) and increase yield and fruit quality in many crops such as cucumber (Hsiu-Fung and Yung-Fu 2013), melon (Liu et al 2011), and watermelon (Mohamed et al 2014). The present study was conducted to investigate the possibility of using grafting as a new promising technique for ameliorating the negative effects of deficit irrigation water on cantaloupe yield and fruit quality
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