Physio-Anatomical Study of Polyploid Watermelon Grafted by Different Methods
Mohamed Omar Kaseb,
Muhammad Jawad Umer,
Eftekhar Mahmud,
Muhammad Anees,
Weinan Diao,
Pingli Yuan,
Hongju Zhu,
Shengjie Zhao,
Xuqiang Lu,
Nan He,
Eman El-remaly,
Wenge Liu
Affiliations
Mohamed Omar Kaseb
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Muhammad Jawad Umer
State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (ICR, CAAS), Anyang 455000, China
Eftekhar Mahmud
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Muhammad Anees
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Weinan Diao
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Pingli Yuan
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Hongju Zhu
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Shengjie Zhao
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Xuqiang Lu
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Nan He
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Eman El-remaly
Horticulture Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Giza 12119, Egypt
Wenge Liu
Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Henan Joint International Research Laboratory of Fruits and Cucurbits Biological Science in South Asia, Zhengzhou 450009, China
Watermelon is one of the most desirable vegetable crops in the world. Recently, grafting is common in watermelons worldwide, but not all grafting methods are compatible with polyploids. In this study, diploid, triploid, and tetraploid from one watermelon variety, “Mi Mei”, were grafted on the “Xijiaqiangsheng” squash rootstock to study the effect of genome duplication on graft compatibility. Three grafting methods (splice, hole, and tongue) were used to determine graft compatibility. Significant differences in survival rates, hormones, antioxidants (AOX), sugars, and starch contents were observed between compatible/incompatible combinations. Compatible combinations with high survival rates showed high levels of hormones, AOX, carbohydrates, and low hydrogen peroxide H2O2 compared to incompatible plants. The hole grafting method was more efficient with diploid, while splice was efficient with a tetraploid, and both methods can be used for triploid. Compatibility is a combined effect of hormone, carbohydrate, and antioxidant activities. We predict that compatibility is a complex process and that further molecular studies must be performed to dig deep into this phenomenon.
