Grafting is a common practice for vegetable production especially under biotic and abiotic stressconditions. Grafted plants have also been used to improve plant growth and yield, provide earliness,extend harvesting period, influence product quality, improve water and nutrient use of efficiency etc.

This study is aiming to test effects of different rootstocks in tomato and

watermelon seedling production on seedling vigor performance whichwould contribute to the improvement of production protocols using somelocal inputs.

Since grafting contributes to sustainable agriculture by reducing the amount of agrochemicals usedfor soil disinfection as an alternative to Methyl Bromide, it is an acceptable practice in particular inorganic greenhouse vegetable production.

However, grafted organic seedling production is not present in Turkey.

Scion: cv. Melis

Rootstocks: Beaufort &Sarafin (L. esculentum × L. hirsutum)

Scion: cv. Asbal

Rootstocks: Argentario (Lageneria siceraria)Jumbo (Cucurbita maxima)Flexifort (C. maxima X C. moschata)

CONTROL: Self-grafted

Where: Faculty of Agriculture of Ege University, Izmir-Turkey When: During summer season of 2015

CONTROL: Self-grafted

Seeds were sown in vermicompost:local peat

(1:1.5 v/v)Scion Rootstock

Tomato 23 July 20 July

Watermelon 21 July 24 July

at 22-24°C and %80 RH10 days

12 h dark,12h led light

tube grafting

slide cut grafting

Seedlings were fertilized with liquid composted farmyard manure (Botanica, Camli Yem Besicilik, Izmir-Turkey) (30 L ha-1) every day with boom system.

Healing unit

AdaptationClimate controlled (24-26 °C) PE greenhouse

specialized for seedling growing

Watermelon and tomato grafted seedlings stayed adaptation greenhosuse

14 and 21 days, respectively

MEASUREMENTS:

germination rate and germination period of seeds root, rootstock and scion lengthroot and shoot diametershoot and root fresh and dry weights

Grafting

Combinations

Length (cm) Diameter (mm) Root (g) Shoot (g)

Root Rootstock Scion Rootstock Scion

Fresh

weight

Dry

weight

Fresh

weight

Dry

weight

Melis/Melis 5.46 3.21 b 8.75 b 1.94 c 2.08 0.07 b 0.01 0.92 b 0.09 b

Melis/Beaufort 7.29 3.29 b 11.71 a 2.65 a 2.37 0.11 a 0.02 1.47 a 0.14 a

Melis/Sarafin 6.38 3.88 a 9.75 ab 2.33 b 2.34 0.10 ab 0.02 1.24 a 0.12 a

P ns <0.05 <0.05 <0.001 ns <0.05 ns <0.05 <0.05

Grafting

Combinations

Length (cm) Diameter (mm) Root (g) Shoot (g)

Root Rootstock Scion Rootstock Scion

Fresh

weight

Dry

weight

Fresh

weight

Dry

weight

Asbal/Asbal 4.92 b 11.53 ab 6.08 2.03 c 1.51 c 0.06 c 0.010 1.70 b 0.131 b

Asbal /Argentario 5.78 b 12.06 a 4.78 2.51 b 1.88 bc 0.13 b 0.013 2.98 a 0.242 a

Asbal /Flexifort 6.56 ab 9.06 c 8.56 3.01 a 2.08 b 0.15 ab 0.015 3.33 a 0.242 a

Asbal /Jumbo 8.06 a 10.86 b 4.22 2.72 ab 2.60 a 0.19 a 0.018 2.99 a 0.228 a

P <0.05 <0.001 ns <0.05 <0.05 <0.001 ns <0.001 <0.001 SG Jmb Arg Flx

SG Bfrt Srfn

seedling biyomas of grafted tomato/watermelon after 14/21 days grafting

� Rootstocks showed more vigor and vegetative growth

depending on its own characteristics however the response

may change according to the scion genotype,

� Plant growth changed according to grafting combinations;among the used rootstocks, Beaufort for tomato and Flexifort

and Jumbo for watermelon were selected more appropriatefor organic seedling production compared to other rootstocksdue to the higher performances that they represented in themeasured parameters.

� Grafting technology could become widespread for organicproduction.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe authors want to thank TUBITAK (Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council) with project no 111G151 andEBİLTEM (Ege University Science and Technology Centre) with project no: 2014-BİL-027 for their support this research.