Growth and yield response of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grafted onto Solanum species rootstocks

The present experiment was conducted at Department of Vegetable Science, KRC College of Horticulture, Arabhavi, UHS, Bagalkot, to study the compatibility of different tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) varieties/hybrids grafted onto wild brinjal (Solanum torvum L.) rootstock, with the objective of assessing the effect of rootstock on growth, yield, crop duration, and the incidence of bacterial wilt in tomato. The study was carried out during the rainy (Kharif) season of 2019-20 and included 3 rootstocks and 2 scions, arranged in a randomized block design (RBD) with 8 treatments and 3 replications. The results were analyzed in terms of growth, yield, and quality parameters. The grafting results showed a significant increase in plant height (122.22 cm), number of branches per plant (9.27), and a reduced number of days to 50% flowering (32.12 days). Grafted plants also showed a delayed harvest, with the maximum number of days to the first fruit harvest being 96.32 days. Other improvements included fruit length (6.08 cm), fruit diameter (7.15 cm), maximum average fruit weight (81.23 g), number of fruits per plant (31.81), yield per plant (2.96 kg), yield per plot (36.62 kg), and yield per hectare (54.25 tonnes) compared to the control. The grafted plants had maximum crop duration of 116.62 days, an increase of 56.58 days compared to non-grafted tomatoes, and exhibited a lower incidence of bacterial wilt (0.00 PDI). In conclusion, grafting of Arka Vikas and Sungro-85 onto wild brinjal rootstock (Solanum torvum L.) is recommended for higher yield and reduced incidence of bacterial wilt.