Abstract
We investigated the effects of bottom-heat (BH) treatment during low-air-temperature (5–10°C) storage on the rooting of eggplant grafted-cuttings that were planted after storage. BH treatment was applied by holding the cut end of cuttings in warmed water. Root growth of cuttings following storage tended to be much improved by BH treatment temperatures ranging from 26 to 31°C. BH treatment should end just before rooting begins in order to avoid the inhibition of root growth caused by root damage during planting. In this study, optimal BH treatment duration is thought to be 3 days, because rooting during storage was observed 4 days after starting treatment when BH treatment was performed up to 5 days. BH treatment was applied to the grafted-cuttings for 3 days using a BH treatment temperature of 27°C at the beginning of 14 days’ storage. The cuttings stored with BH treatment were planted in the growing medium, and then grown for 14 days. Root fresh weight of the grafted plant obtained from cuttings that received BH treatment was 1.4 and 2.8 times greater than those that were stored without the treatment or not stored at all, respectively.
