Relationship between productivity and mineral content of plant parts on grafted tomato ‘Hanakomachi’

Abstract

Productivity of medium size tomato ‘Hanakomachi’ is improved by grafting. These results attributed to increase of macronutrient (K, P, Ca) content of stem and leaf, which indicate 7%, 13% and 15% increase to control by grafting respectively. Whereas Mg content decreased 26% by grafting. Macronutrient content of root also increased 8% to 28%. Among micronutrient, content of Mn and Fe increased 28% and 27% on the stem and leaf by grafting, whereas decreased 50% and 27% on roots respectively. Because these contents of root are quite higher than these of stem and reaf, root ability of exudation or oxidation related with Fe and Mn accumulation might differed between scion and grafted root. Bleeding rate increased 1.56 times by grafting, when root dry matter increased 1.32 times. That indicated only increase of root dry matter was not attributed to increase of bleeding rate (root activity). Because dry matter content of grafted root was lower than scion root, higher percentage of high activity root with non-lignification might keep higher bleeding rate on grafting.