Sunday, January 29, 2017

Tomato grafting

Ajay Nair and Kristine Neu
Department of Horticulture
Iowa State University

High tunnels have emerged as a tool for Iowa vegetable growers to extend the growing season, increase crop production, and improve the quality of the produce, but production in this system does not come without challenges. Continuous cropping of tomatoes in the same high tunnel gives rise to recurring soilborne and foliar diseases, pest pressure, issues with soil fertility and salinity, and increased irrigation requirements. One tool to overcome these challenges may be the use of vegetable grafting. The process of grafting is accomplished by attaching the desired scion onto a rootstock that is typically bred for vigor and/or disease resistance.



Results from a two-year study of grafting a determinate (Mountain Fresh Plus) and an indeterminate (Cherokee Purple) tomato cultivar on RST-04-106T rootstock are available on sustainable vegetable production lab website. Click on the link below to download the report.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/vegetablelab/


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