Tomato grafting

Tomato grafting is a horticulture technique that has been utilized in Asia and Europe for greenhouse and high tunnel production and is gaining popularity in the United States.

The scion of the grafted tomato represents the upper portion of the plant and is selected for its fruit quality characteristics.

However, because of the added expense, it is typically associated with melons, cucurbits, and members of the family Solanaceae such as eggplant and tomato.

Tomato grafting became popular in the 1960s as a way to reduce certain diseases caused by soilborne plant pathogens such as Raletonia solanacearum [1].

Currently, however, grafting is used to offer not only protection from certain diseases, but also tolerance to abiotic stress like flooding, drought, and salinity [2].

The first grafts in the early 20th century were made in order to diminish attacks by infectious organisms, such as Fusarium oxysporum on watermelons.

[2] However, research has shown that this technique can be effective against a variety of fungal, bacterial, viral, and nematode diseases.

[5] Furthermore, many researchers are looking to utilize specific rootstocks as an alternative to methyl bromide-a soil fumigant that has been widely used until recently.[when?

[14][15] This technique has been highly effective as it can be carried out when plants are very small, thereby eliminating the need for large healing chambers while increasing the output.