ROOTSTOCK BREEDING FOR BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC RESISTANCE IN

CUCURBITACEOUS CROPS
1
DEEPA ADIVEPPA HOLER 2BASAVARAJA, N AND 3PRASHANT, R. N.
1
Ph.D. Research Scholar, UHS – KRCCH, Arabhavi – 591218;
2
Director of Research, (DR), Vegetable science dept.
UHS-COH, Bagalkote - 587104;
3
Ph.D. Research Scholar, UHS – KRCCH, Arabhavi – 591218
Email: deeparh22@gmail.com

Among the vegetable crops Cucurbitaceae is one of the largest family with 117 genera
and 825 species and are important vegetable crops for daily consumption as raw or cooked. Due
to limited availability of arable land and high market demand for offseason crop cucurbits are
continuously cultivated under unfavorable condition in some countries, this successive cropping
increases salinity, incidence of cucurbit pests and also soil borne diseases like fusarium wilt
caused by Fusarium oxysporum. This cause many physiological and pathological disorders leads
severe crop loss. Chemical pest control is expensive, not always effective and can harm
environment and also developing a new cultivar resistance to disease is time consuming and can
harm the environment. There is a need for developing new technology to overcome all these
issues, so breeding suitable rootstocks for grafting a susceptible scion on to resistant rootstock
can control soil borne diseases, abiotic stresses and also increases the yield.

Why rootstock breeding in Cucurbits?

To induce resistance against low and high temperature

To enhance nutrient uptake

To increase synthesis of endogenous harmones

Improve water use efficiency

Reduce uptake of persistent organic pollutants from agricultural soil

Improve alkalinity tolerance

Resistance to soil borne diseases

Raise salt and flooding tolerance

Scion and rootstock physiology

Sequence of structural events during graft union process

It begins with ruptured cells at graft interference and the lining up vascular cambium of both
rootstock and scion and wound response process

Formation of callus bridge , some living cells in damaged cells initiate the formation of callus
from the parenchymatous cells of phloem and xylem tissues, penetrating the thin necrotic layer
and soon fill up the gap between the stock and scion and become interlocked

Wound repair process between xylem and phloem (it takes 7-10 days). The development of these
cells results in the formation of continuous cambial connection between the stock and scion.

Formation of secondary xylem and phloem from new vascular cambium. So, new xylem and
phloem are formed inside and outside of the vascular cambium. Thus, the production of new
xylem and phloem permits the vascular connection between the rootstock and scion
throughout the life of grafting.
Table 1: Important diseases of cucurbits
Diseases Pathogen Crops
Watermelon, muskmelon,
Fusarium wilt Fusarium oxysporum
cucumber
Fusarium crown and root rot Fusarium oxysporum; Watermelon
Fusarium solani
Watermelon, muskmelon,
Verticillium wilt Verticillium dahliae
cucumber
Monosporascus sudden wilt Monosporascus cannonballus Watermelon, muskmelon
Nematodes
Cucumber, muskmelon,
Root-knot Meloidogyne spp.
watermelon,
 Table 2: objectives of rootstock breeding

Crops Objectives

Watermelon Tolerance to Fusarium wilt, low temperature, wilting due to

physiological disorders and drought tolerance.
Cucumber Tolerance to Fusarium wilt, low temperature and phytophthora melonis.
Muskmelon Tolerance to Fusarium wilt, low temperature, wilting due to
physiological disorders and phytophthora disease.
Tomato Tolerance to bacterial wilt, Fusarium wilt, nematodes and verticillium
wilt.
Egg plant Tolerance to bacterial wilt, Fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt, nematodes
and greater vigor.

Table 3: Rootstocks suggested for improving yield and quality

Crop Scion Rootstock Reference
Muskmelon Ofir Adir Cohen et al., 2007
Cucumber A1 Pumpkin Davis et al., 2008
Watermelon - Bottle gourd Yetisir et al., 2006

Table 4: Rootstocks suggested for biotic stress tolerance

Crop Disease Rootstock Reference

Cucumber Stem & root rot Peto 4291, TS1358, TZ148 Pavlou et al., 2002
Fusarium wilt Brava (interspecific hybrid) Edelstein et al., 1999
Muskmelon Fusarium wilt Muskmelon, cucurbit sps. Cohen et al., 2007
Squash interspecific hybrids Crino et al., 2007
Nematode Cucumis & cucurbita sps. Siguenza et al., 2005
Gummy stem blight Squash interspecific hybrids Crino et al., 2007

Table 5: Rootstocks suggested for improving abiotic stress resistance.

 Abiotic stress Crop Rootstock Reference
Low temperature Cucurbits Shin-tosa Okimura et al. 1986

Drought Watermelon Wax gourd Sakata et al. 2007

Bitter gourd Sponge gourd Liao and lin, 1996

Future thrust

 Breeding appropriate rootstocks is still a matter of trial and error and the use of specific
physiological parameters to select plants in the breeding process is unprecedented for
future rootstock breeding

 Extensive research is required to understand various genetic and physiological aspects for
better execution of this technology

Conclusion

Screening of cucurbitaceous rootstocks for various biotic and abiotic stresses and grafting
with susceptible scions can help sustainable production. Ultimately leads higher income to
farmers