Performance of tomato cultivars grafted on root-knot nematode resistant Solanum torvum rootstock for growth and yield parameters

Aim: To study the grafting of tomato cultivars on root-knot nematode resistant Solanum torvum for plant growth, yield parameters and nematode damage under polyhouse conditions. Methodology: Three tomato cultivars viz., Arka Samrat, Saaho and SVTD8323 were grafted on Meloidogyne incognita-resistant S. torvum Sw. (IC618029) by cleft grafting technique. The experiment was conducted in a polyhouse using factorial randomized block design (FRBD) with two factors. The first factor was planting material with grafted and non-grafted tomato cultivars. The second factor was with and without nematode infestation. Observations on plant growth and yield parameters were taken. Results: Grafted and non-grafted tomato cultivars differed significantly in terms of flowering and yield parameters and nematode damage. Under nematode-infested conditions, grafted cultivars yielded significantly more number of flowers per cluster (4.22 to 4.47), flower clusters per plant (11.25 to 11.63), fruits per cluster (3.74 to 4.19), higher percentage of fruit set (89.78 to 94.00) and fruit yield per plant (2,984.6 to 3114.36 g), with less nematode damage (10.60 to 11.53 galls per root system) as compared to non-grafted cultivars (302.53 to 314.33 galls per root system). Interpretation: Tomato grafting with S. torvum rootstock can be utilized in root-knot nematode management, especially in protected cultivation. Key words: Meloidogyne incognita, Nematodes, Rootstock, Tomato grafting, Wild brinjal