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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, 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.

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.

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.

The goal of the present study was to determine whether grafting of watermelon on gourd rootstocks could improve alkalinity tolerance and to investigate the physiological and morphological response mechanisms of the grafted plants under different pH levels. The experiment was carried out in a climate chamber to investigate growth, leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD), leaf area, stem length, shoot and root dry weight, root length, electrolyte leakage, leaf mineral composition, total chlorophyll and carotenoid contents. Two watermelon cultivars (Crimson tide, CT, and Crisby) were grafted onto three commercial Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata hybrid rootstocks under climate-chamber conditions (Strong tosa, ST, Ercole and Nun 9075). The grafted seedlings were transplanted onto 8 L continuously aerated pots containing nutrient solution with two different pH levels (8.5 and 6.5) and replicated three times. The results showed that in both grafted and non-grafted plants, there was a substantial reduction in shoot and root biomass production at high pH levels. At high pH level, the significantly highest leaf area, stem length, SPAD, concentration of P, Ca, S and Mn in leaf tissues were recorded in graft combination ‘Crisby/Ercole’, whereas the significantly highest concentration of Fe in leaf tissues, shoot dry weight were recorded in graft combination ‘Crisby/Nun 9075’. Moreover, at high pH, the significantly highest concentration of Mg and Cu in shoot under high pH levels was significantly found in graft combination of ‘CT/ST’. These results suggest that the use of interspecific Cucurbita maxima × C. moschata hybrid rootstocks can improve crop performance in watermelon plants under alkaline conditions.

In this study, two hydroponic experiments were conducted in nutrient solution growth system. Experiments were conducted in growth chamber of Erciyes University, Agricultural Faculty in Kayseri, Turkey. In the first experiment, 10 local Turkish bottle gourd genotypes and two commercial watermelon cultivars were screened under 2 N doses (0.3 mM and 3.0 mM N) in RBD design with three replications for six weeks. In the second experiment, four genotypes (N-efficient: 70-07 and 07-45, N-inefficient: 35-10 and 45-07) were selected and used as rootstock for grafting with N-inefficient watermelon cultivar (Crimson Sweet) under 2 N doses. The grafted N-efficient gourd genotypes (07-45 and 70-07) significantly contributed to growth and biomass production of the N-inefficient watermelon plants as compared to non-grafted control plants and thus showed a higher rootstock potential for watermelon. The N-efficiency of some gourd genotypes was associated with vigor root growth and active root system particularly at low N conditions. These traits could be useful characters to select ‘N-efficient’ bottle gourd rootstocks for sustainable agriculture in the future.

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to assess whether grafting with Cucurbita rootstocks could improve the salt tolerance of melon scions and to determine the physiological, biochemical, and nutritional responses induced by the rootstocks under salt stress. Two melon (Cucumis melo L.) cultivars (Citirex and Altinbas) were grafted onto two commercial Cucurbita rootstocks (Kardosa and Nun9075). Plants were grown in aerated nutrient solution under deep water culture (DWC) at two electrical conductivity (EC) levels (control at 1.5 dS m−1 and salt at 8.0 dS m−1). Hydroponic salt stress led to a significant reduction in shoot and root growths, leaf area, photosynthetic activity, and leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid contents of both grafted and nongrafted melons. Susceptible plants responded to salt stress by increasing leaf proline and malondialdehyde (MDA), ion leakage, and leaf Na+ and Cl− contents. Statistically significant negative correlations existed between shoot dry biomass production and leaf proline (r = −0.89), leaf MDA (r = −0.85), leaf Na+ (r = −0.90), and leaf (r = 0.63) and root (r = −0.90) ion leakages under salt stress. Nongrafted Citirex tended to be more sensitive to salt stress than Altinbas. The Cucurbita rootstocks (Nun9075 and Kardosa) significantly improved growth and biomass production of grafted melons (scions) by inducing physiological (high leaf area and photosynthesis), biochemical (low leaf proline and MDA), and nutritional (low leaf Na+ and ion leakage and high K+ and Ca++ contents) responses under salt stress. The highest growth performance was exhibited by the Citirex/Nun9075 and Citirex/Kardosa graft combinations. Both Cucurbita cultivars have high rootstock potential for melon, and their significant contributions to salt tolerance were 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, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) inbred lines were grafted onto different rootstock genotypes and tested under saline conditions. A hydroponic experiment was conducted in nutrient solution growth system in a growth chamber of Erciyes University, Agricultural Faculty in Kayseri, Turkey. The experiment was conducted in spring 2017 growth season. Two pepper inbred lines (ERÜ-462 and ERÜ-1227) were grafted onto three different pepper rootstocks/genotypes (Scarface F1, 11B14, and Yaocali F1) and grown in 8 L pots filled with continuously aerated nutrient solution under saline conditions (8 dS m−1) with three replications. The growth chamber experiment was carried out to determine the effects of salt stress on plant growth, shoot and root dry weights, leaf area, photosynthesis, leaf total chlorophyll (a + b) and carotenoid content, proline content, glycine betaine content, leaf electrolyte leakage, leaf and root macro element concentration in grafted and non-grafted pepper plants. The results indicated that ERÜ-462 grafted on to Scarface and 11B14 rootstock genotypes were more tolerant to salinity than ERÜ-1227 in term of leaf chlorophyll (a + b) content and leaf carotenoid content, photosynthesis, and proline content. Though, higher shoot and root biomass, leaf area formation, root K+, Na+, Cl− contents were observed when ERÜ-1227 grafted on to Scarface and 11B14 rootstock genotypes. Strong rootstock promoted plant growth in pepper plant both under control and saline conditions and significant depression of plant biomass production under saline conditions was observed in both grafted and non-grafted plants. However, grafting onto vigorous rootstocks alleviated negative effects of salinity stress on pepper plants. Scarface and 11B14 were found more tolerant to salinity than non-grafted pepper plants and the other genotypes used as regard to investigated parameters.

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.