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Background Heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils disrupts plant growth and metabolism. Although zinc (Zn) is a necessary element, concentrations above 50 ppm can be toxic to plants. Grafting has emerged as a potential strategy to mitigate heavy metal stress by enhancing tolerance, reducing translocation to edible plant parts, and maintaining crop productivity. Results In this study, cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) was grafted onto Cremna F1, Maximus F1, and TZ148 F1 rootstocks and evaluated under four Zn conditions (Zn-deficient 0 ppm, 10 ppm, 50 ppm, and control with 0.05 ppm Zn) in a hydroponic system. Grafted plants exhibited significant improvements, including a 21.5% increase in shoot length and 27.3% higher fresh root weight compared to non-grafted controls. Chlorophyll content remained stable in grafted plants (1.42 ± 0.03 mg g⁻¹ FW) but declined in non-grafted plants (1.18 ± 0.07 mg g⁻¹ FW) under 50 ppm Zn stress. Fruit set (%) decreased from 0.84 ± 0.04 in control plants to 0.61 ± 0.02 under 50 ppm Zn. ISSR band shifts (average polymorphism 91%) were treated as stress-related genotoxicity proxies rather than fixed genotypic differences. PCA indicated moderate separation among treatments rather than fully distinct clusters in grafted plants. Machine learning (ML) analyses complemented these findings: Random Forest regression achieved a five-fold cross-validated performance of R² = 0.64, with fruit curvature, root dry weight, and plant height identified as the strongest predictors of yield. The Zn Tolerance Index (ZTI) ranked TZ148-Cagla as the most tolerant combination, retaining 25% of the control yield under 50 ppm Zn. Conclusion These results demonstrate that grafting enhances cucumber tolerance to Zn stress by improving morphological, physiological, and biochemical performance while maintaining yield stability. ML analyses strengthened these conclusions by quantitatively ranking trait importance and providing a predictive framework for rootstock selection. Together, these findings highlight grafting as an effective strategy for reducing heavy metal accumulation in edible plant parts and sustaining crop productivity, thereby supporting sustainable practices in Zn-affected systems, including contaminated irrigation scenarios.

Members of the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes species with quite different characteristics, have been used for food, medicine, and ornamental purposes for a long time. However, most plant diseases and pests cause yield and quality losses in cucurbits, and one of the most important of these diseases is zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), which one of the most common potyviruses worldwide and causes serious yield losses in cucurbit production worldwide. Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus shows symptoms such as yellowing, mottling, curling, deformation, mosaic, shortening and thickening of the internodes, and may also cause loss of yield and quality. As widely known, there is no effective chemical control of viral diseases, and the use of resistant or tolerant varieties is the most effective solution. In this study, 92 watermelon genotypes, 14 zucchinis (pumpkin seeds) and 29 ornamental pumpkins collected from different parts of Türkiye were tested against ZYMV. Symptoms of ZYMV in different watermelon genotypes and pumpkins were observed for 21 days. Genotypes showing systemic infection after inoculation were evaluated on a scale of 0-5. Also, RT-PCR studies were carried out on selecting nine symptomless control plants, seven ZYMV-sensitive genotypes showing 5-scale value, one genotype with 1-scale value considered tolerant, and one genotype belongs to C. lanatus var. citroides. According to the results, it was determined that some watermelon and ornamental pumpkin genotypes could be considered as tolerant. Watermelon, which was having accession number PI560016, was found resistant to Turkish local strain of ZYMV. Although different susceptibility levels were detected between watermelon genotypes, all pumpkin genotypes were discovered to be susceptible to the Turkish local strain of ZYMV.

This study was conducted in Erciyes University Agricultural Research and Application Land in 2020 to determine the effects of organic and chemical fertilizers applied from the base to the Yedikule lettuce plant on plant yield and plant chlorophyll content. In the study, solid worm manure (100 kg da-1) was preferred as organic fertilizer, while 15 - 15 - 15 compound bottom fertilizer was preferred as chemical fertilizer. Seedlings of lettuce plants were planted with 16 plants in each plot, with a row spacing of 25 cm and a spacing of 50 cm between rows. In the study, the chlorophyll content of plant leaves (SPAD) was examined, as well as the yield parameters of plant height (cm), plant width (cm) and plant fresh weight (g/plant). As a result of the examination, it was determined that chemical fertilizer application had a positive effect on the fresh weight of the plant, and organic fertilizer application had a positive effect on the chlorophyll content.

In this study, ploidy levels were determined by stomatal observations and flow cytometry analysis of plants polyploidised by the application of 0.05% colchicine to seedlings at the first true leaf stage. In the study of developing polyploid watermelon rootstocks, the survival rate of the plants was 77%, and the polyploidisation rates were 11% and 3% according to stomatal observations and flow cytometry analysis, respectively. According to the results of flow cytometry, 22 polyploid genotypes were determined. Auto- (12) and allotetraploids (10) of genotypes were developed, and their plant growth performance was determined in hydroponic culture in comparison with diploids, commercial rootstocks (RS841, ‘Argentario’) and watermelon cultivar (‘Crimson Tide’). Putative tetraploids and their diploid controls were grown in hydroponic culture for 21 days, and their vegetative growth performances were determined. The results showed that the increases in plant biomass depending on polyploidisation were 100% in autotetraploids and 156% in allotetraploids as compared to diploid controls.

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to assess whether grafting with citroides rootstocks could improve the salt tolerance of cucumber. One cucumber cultivar (Mercur F1) was grafted onto six diploid and tetraploid (auto and allo) citroides genotypes and the commercial rootstocks Argentario and RS841. Plants were grown in hydroponic culture at two electrical conductivity (EC) levels (control at 1.5 dS m−1 and salt at 6.0 dS m−1). Hydroponic salt stress led to a significant reduction in biomass growth of both grafted and nongrafted cucumbers. However, the plants least affected by salt stress were those grafted onto tetraploid citroides rootstocks. The leaf nutrient uptake of cucumber plants was significantly (p < 0.001) affected by salt, graft combination, and the salt × graft interaction. Ion leakage was significantly increased by salt application, and rootstock genotypic variation was significant. While the highest amount of proline was measured in plants grafted onto RS841 and N7T, the lowest amount of proline was determined in nongrafted control plants. Antioxidative enzyme activities were significantly affected by rootstocks under both control and salt-stress conditions. In this study, all graft combinations showed increased superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase activities with salt application, which differed according to rootstock genotypes. Tetraploid citroides cultivars have high rootstock potential for cucumber and their significant contribution to salt tolerance was closely associated with inducing physiological and biochemical responses of scions. These traits could be useful for the selection and breeding of salt-tolerant rootstocks for sustainable agriculture in the future.

In this study, 36 different ornamental pumpkin ( Cucurbita pepo L. var. ovifera (L.) Alef.) genotypes were analyzed in terms of detailed morphological parameters, molecular properties, and some nutritional features. In this regard, high morphological diversity among the genotypes was observed in terms of plant, leaf and fruit characteristics. Molecular results showed that the genotype which is farthest from the other genotypes of 55% of the difference was determined and fourteen ISSR primers produced, on average, 121 bands in the accessions examined, of which 88 (73%) were polymorphic and Jaccard’s similarity coefficient ranged from 0.45 to 0.96. Nutritional analysis showed that C. pepo var. ovifera seeds are rich in potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) with the concentrations of 8490–21,798 mg/kg and 13,902–28,686 mg/kg, respectively. It was also determined that the pumpkin seed oils had alpha and gamma tocopherols and no β-tocopherols. All samples had β-carotene with the range of 19.63–150.88 mg/kg oil.

Globally, salinity has a devastating effect on plant yield and quality. The breeding of salt-tolerant varieties/rootstocks is crucial to reducing these effects. This study involved 35 hybrid rootstock candidates, their female and male parent lines, 9 genotypes (Lagenaria siceraria). In hydroponic conditions, rootstock candidates were evaluated for the biomass, physicochemical parameters in leaf and root tissues under control [1.8 dS m−1] and saline [10 dS m−1] conditions. Salt stress reduced shoot dry weight by 63%, root dry weight by 43%, main stem diameter by 18%, number of leaves per plant by 41%, main stem length by 68%, and root length by 45%. Under salt stress, the highest amount of photosynthetic parameters were measured in genotypes 39-01 × 56-01 (16.17 µmol CO2/cm2/s) and 42-11 × 47-02 (16.47 µmol CO2/cm2/s), respectively. Salt stress decreased leaf tissue IAA (3%), ABA (63%), and root tissue IAA (28%), GA3 (32%), and SA (63%) content, but increased leaf tissue GA3 (196%), SA (27%) and root tissue ABA (47%) content. Salt stress decreased leaf K/Na and Ca/Na ratios by 100 and 97%, respectively, under salt stress. The increase in the amount of K/Na and Ca/Na in leaf tissues under salt stress conditions positively affected biomass and photosynthesis parameters. In this study, 15 Lagenaria hybrid rootstock candidates performed better under salt stress than watermelon and other hybrids salt-tolerant plants. It has been concluded that rootstock candidates selected as salt tolerant can be used as watermelon rootstocks in regions experiencing salt stress by determining their rootstock/scion interactions in terms of yield and quality in future studies.

Bottle gourd [ Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.] is one of the oldest cultivated plants, native to Africa and it distributed to over the World. Its dispersal route from Africa to America and Asia is still subject of studies. Similarly, when and how bottle gourd entered into Turkey is not known. In previous studies, bottle gourd germplasm collecting activities were undertaken in the country and the germplasm were analyzed morphologically. Here we report molecular analysis of 60 Turkish bottle gourds along with 31 diverse exotic accessions. Eighth Simple Sequence Repeats and two chloroplast loci of 91 accessions were analyzed. Capillary electrophoresis was used for DNA size fragman separation. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 13, with a mean of 7. Mean values for expected heterozygosity, observed heterozgosity, and polymorphism information averaged 0.5, 0.13 and 0.50, respectively, thereby sugguesting very low (0.13) genetic diversity in a very diverse population. An unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean dendrogram was constructed, Indian accessions clearly separated from the rest. Among the remaining samples, neither Turkish landraces grouped together based on their georgraphic origin, nor clear speration occurred according to origin continent. Interestingly, this co-dominant marker analysis shows close molecular allelic profile among bottle gourds originated from far different countries.

To assess whether grafting could improve the nitrogen (N) efficiency of potato cultivars and to determine which physiological and morphological characteristics are predominantly contributing to N efficiency, a hydroponic experiment was conducted. Two contrasting potato cultivars (Agria: N‑efficient and Van Gogh: N‑inefficient) were grafted reciprocally onto each other. Grafted and non-grafted control plants were grown in a growth chamber for 42 days in 8 L pots filled with continuously aerated nutrient solution under two N rates (Low-N : 0.5 mM N and High-N : 3.0 mM N) by using a deep water culture (DWC) technique. The shoot and root fresh (FW) and dry (DW) weights, main stem length, number of leaves, total leaf area, photosynthetic activity of leaves, shoot and root N concentration, total N uptake, total root length and root volume of potato plants were significantly increased with increased N rate. The grafted plants produced significantly higher above ground biomass than non-grafted ones, indicating that N efficiency was significantly improved by the reciprocally grafting under low and high N rates. Non-grafted cv. Agria showed higher numbers of shoot and root FW and DW, total leaf area, intensity of photosynthesis net measurements, compared to non-grafted cv. Van Gogh under both N rates. In reciprocal grafting, the growth performance of cv. Agria slightly increased when it was grafted onto cv. Van Gogh, whereas a significant increase in crop growth performance was recorded when cv. Van Gogh was grafted onto cv. Agria. The N efficiency of non-grafted cv. Agria was closely associated with its vigorous root growth and active root system under both N conditions. Same root morphological characteristic could not be exhibited by the N‑inefficient cv. Van Gogh. Our study suggested that root morphological characteristics are contributing more than shoot characteristics to N efficiency of potatoes. These traits could be useful characters to breed/select N‑efficient potato rootstocks for sustainable agriculture in the future.

In this study, some fruit and seed characteristics and seed yield of a 22 genotypes of Turkish Lagenaria siceraria germplasm were determined. Ten seedlings from each genotype were transplanted with 3.0 m*0.5 m spacing to open field. 10 kg N da-1, 10 kg P2O5 da-1 and 10 kg K2O da-1 fertilizers were added to the soil during soil preparation. Fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit seed yield, 100 seed weight, seed width, seed length and seed thickness were determined in three replication with five fruits. While the fruit length was between 134.2 and 1.15 cm, the fruit diameter varied between 2.34 and 9.42 cm. LS31-09 produced the highest seed yield with 153.85 g fruit-1, and the lowest seed yield was obtained from LS01-18 with 2.53 g fruit-1. Genotypic variation was significant in 100 seed weight, and the 100 seeds weight with a mean of 20.1 g ranged from 3.7 g to 28.1 g. The fruit diameter was positively correlated with the seed yield per fruit, seed length and 100 seed weight. Overall, 100 seed weight was positively correlated with fruit seed yield, seed width and seed index, and a strong positive correlation between 100 seed weight and seed length. This study showed that Turkish bottle germplasm have high seed yield genotypes..