Impact of plant determinacy and grafting methods on productivity in tomato hybrids

Abstract

Growing tomatoes in film greenhouses is an important direction in modern vegetable growing. One of the promising methods for increasing tomato productivity is grafting, which allows for the combination of positive characteristics from different varieties and types. Non-standard grafting methods for tomato cultivation, such as cleft grafting and splice grafting, influenced the biometric indicators and productivity of tomato hybrids with various growth types, providing options for cultivation in controlled environments. In cleft-grafted tomato hybrids, where both the rootstock and scion had a determinate growth type, the highest degree of semi-determinacy expression was observed. When grafting plants by the method of splice, all the hybrids we studied exhibited a higher degree of indeterminacy. The impact of grafting on the duration of the growing season for tomato hybrids in controlled environments and the expression of late maturity was confirmed; however, no effect of the grafting method on the flowering time of inflorescences was established. Hybrid forms of tomatoes created through cleft grafting showed advantages in fruit yield over splice-grafted hybrids. The most productive were the grafted hybrids Pink Delight F1 (13.8 kg m-1) and Ronda F1 (14.2 kg m-1). Increasing the productivity of the Pink Delight F1 tomato hybrid through grafting with a determinate rootstock, regardless of the method, provides an advantage when selecting hybrids for cultivation in controlled environments.