Grafting as a tool for improved water use efficiency, physio-biochemical attributes of cucumber plants under deficit irrigation

Abstract: The current study was conducted during the summer seasons of 2018 and 2019 under net house conditions at the Eastern Experimental Station of the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University to investigate the effect of some cucurbit rootstocks on the growth, quality, yield and chemical compositions of cucumber under drought stress. The study included 12 treatments that were arranged in a split-plot design with three replicates. The main plot included two levels of water irrigation (50 or100%) and sub main plot included five rootstocks viz., 1-Bottle Gourd (Legenaria siceraria), 2-Luffa (Luffa aegyptiaca), 3-Squash (Cucurbita pepo), 4- Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) and 5-Shintoza (Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata), in addition, to control treatment (Cucumber, cv. Hayel, without grafting). The results indicated that drought stress treatment (50%) significantly reduced leaf area and fruit length compared with normal irrigation (100%). Also, no significant differences were noticed between the treatments of water regime (50 or 100%) on plant height, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration, chlorophyll readings, fruit quality (fruit weight, fruit diameter and fruit TSS), total yield and K%. On the other hand, grafted cucumber onto luffa rootstock caused a significant decrease in plant height, fruit weight and P and K% in leaves, whereas grafting onto bottle gourd significantly increased leaf area and total yield of cucumber, as compared with control.