Articles
Monitoring the water balance, growth, and development of grafted tomato seedlings
Article number
1453_13
Pages
97 – 102
Language
English
Abstract
Unfavorable environmental conditions during grafting healing period, particularly low humidity, can cause significant water loss in grafted seedlings, leading to severe wilting and/or delayed establishment.
To mitigate these challenges, it is essential to monitor the water balance, growth, and development of grafted seedlings.
In this experiment, 40 grafted tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings were cultured for eight days on a shelf under high humidity condition (RH >95%). Evapotranspiration and water absorption rates were monitored in 10 of the grafted seedlings.
At the same time, projected leaf area was measured using a LiDAR camera.
Destructive measurements for fresh and dry weights and leaf areas were conducted every two days, alongside microscopic observations of transverse stem sections.
The results showed that the transpiration rate remained low immediately after grafting but increased as graft establishment progressed, as confirmed by microscopic observations.
A similar trend was observed in water absorption rates.
During the initial phase, evapotranspiration and water absorption rates were nearly equal and remained stable.
However, after day 3, the water absorption rate exceeded the evapotranspiration rate, suggesting an increase in fresh weight.
Likewise, projected leaf area remained stable for the first four days and then increased over time.
These findings were consistent with the destructive measurements.
Overall, the results suggest that the proposed monitoring method offers valuable insights for optimizing environmental conditions to support successful graft establishment.
To mitigate these challenges, it is essential to monitor the water balance, growth, and development of grafted seedlings.
In this experiment, 40 grafted tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) seedlings were cultured for eight days on a shelf under high humidity condition (RH >95%). Evapotranspiration and water absorption rates were monitored in 10 of the grafted seedlings.
At the same time, projected leaf area was measured using a LiDAR camera.
Destructive measurements for fresh and dry weights and leaf areas were conducted every two days, alongside microscopic observations of transverse stem sections.
The results showed that the transpiration rate remained low immediately after grafting but increased as graft establishment progressed, as confirmed by microscopic observations.
A similar trend was observed in water absorption rates.
During the initial phase, evapotranspiration and water absorption rates were nearly equal and remained stable.
However, after day 3, the water absorption rate exceeded the evapotranspiration rate, suggesting an increase in fresh weight.
Likewise, projected leaf area remained stable for the first four days and then increased over time.
These findings were consistent with the destructive measurements.
Overall, the results suggest that the proposed monitoring method offers valuable insights for optimizing environmental conditions to support successful graft establishment.
Authors
K. Ohyama, M. Kita, H. Naito
Keywords
environmental conditions, grafting, microscopic observation, transpiration rate, water absorption rate, water loss
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