Studying the effects of rootstock compatibility on fruit yield and biochemical characteristics of grafted Khatooni Iranian melon

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Botany, Research Institute of Forest and Rangelands, Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

10.22034/jppb.2025.66737.1368

Abstract

Objective: This experiment aimed to study the effects of compatible and incompatible rootstocks on yield and some physiological and biochemical characteristics of the Khatooni melon (Cucumis melo Gr Inodorus, accession Khatooni).
Methods: The experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block design with three replications in the research station of the Department of Horticultural Science and Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran, in 2022. Seven different cucurbit rootstocks, along with the Khatooni melon as a control, were used in this research. Then, the diameter of the grafted zone, total yield, marketable yield, leaf area, leaf nitrogen concentration, fruit dry weight, root dry weight, total soluble solids, leaf and root total soluble sugars, sap flow, pH, and total acidity were measured.
Results: The yield and other measured characteristics were affected by the rootstock type. The highest total and marketable melon yield was obtained in the Shintozwa rootstock, followed by the RoutPower and Nangwoo 01 rootstocks. These three rootstocks were also superior in terms of leaf area, leaf nitrogen concentration, and leaf total soluble sugars. The Nangwoo 01 rootstock had the highest sap accumulation in 24 hours (986 CC) and root dry weight. In the grafted seedlings, the first morphological sign of incompatibility appeared with an increase in the grafting zone diameter. The Marvel rootstock had a very large diameter (39.29 mm) and was regarded as a highly incompatible rootstock. This rootstock also had the lowest values for the melon yield and other measured traits. Therefore, the rootstock incompatibility had a negative effect on the melon yield and all physiological, morphological, and biochemical aspects of the Khatooni melon.
Conclusion: The Marvel rootstock was identified as an incompatible rootstock, and the Shintozwa rootstock, followed by the RoutPower and Nangwoo rootstocks, were recognized and recommended as suitable 

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Plant Physiology and Breeding
Volume 16, Issue 1
2026
Pages 75-92

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