November 2013

Grafting Market Developments

Gretchen Raymond M.Sc. Worldwide (Solanaceae)

Central America South America Oceania 1% 1% 0% North America 9%

Africa Europe 13% 38%

Asia 38% Grafting in Europe (Solanaceae)

United Denmark Switzerland Hungary Kingdom Portugal 0% Greece 1% 1% 0% Finland 2% Austria 3% Germany 0% 1% Sweden 2% 0% Poland 5% Belgium Spain 5% 36% 11%

France 12% Netherlands 20% Grafting Worldwide (Cucurbitaceae) Grafting Cucurbitaceae

Scion Country Surface crop (ha) % grafted Melon Italy 23.000 15% Spain 20.000 1% France 14.000 9% Total Melon 57.000 8% Syrian Arab Republic 60.000 1% Brazil 51.500 0% Algeria 33.000 15% Spain 25.500 74% Turkey 25.200 72% Egypt 20.000 1% Greece 15.000 81% Italy 13.500 86% Morocco 13.000 98% Israel 10.000 80% Tunisia 5.000 86% Mexico 4.200 100% Hungary 4.000 20% Lebanon 3.750 34% Chile 1.200 5% Senegal 300 50% Total Watermelon 285.150 34% Grafting in North Europe /Holland High Tech • : 100% grafted. Long cycles, substrate in high tech greenhouses. => yield improvement and less symptoms of PepMV • Cucumber: many grafted plants for the hobby market in Germany. => shiny fruits • Pepper: few grafting, mainly for organic in soil. => nematode resistance (M. hapla) and Phytophthora capsici Grafting Southern Europe /Spain

• Tomato- 40% of the total market is grafted. Mainly for the long cycle cropping. => resistances (nematodes, fusarium) & vigor • : every year increasing for the winter cycle. => resistances (nematodes, fusarium) & vigor • Pepper: grafting is done in organic cultivation, mainly in Murcia area. => resistances (nematodes, phytophthora) Grafting in Southern Europe /Spain

• Cucumber: growing market, especially for organic. => fusarium resistance • Watermelon: 100% grafted => resistance to fusarium and improved vigor • Melon: just starting due to lack of specific rootstock varieties => resistance to fusarium and improved vigor Emerging Markets for Grafting

Central and South America

 Guatemala, Honduras and Costa Rica for melon (fusarium) and tomato

(bacterial wilt)

 Brazil is also starting very strong grafting in all crops (tomato, aubergine,

pepper, cucumber, melon and watermelon, mainly for disease pressure).

The lack of facilities (nurseries) and the transport issues in Brazil are

limitant factors (similar to US).

 Argentina and Chile are leading in tomato grafting, because of diseases

and also for winter counter season production (vigor). Successes and Failures

• Tomato

• Successful in most markets. We can split 3 big markets:

• 1) High-tech- extra vigor and extra production

• 2) Counter season/ low tech - vigor through the winter season and the diseases (usually in soil) are the keys

• 3) Open field in tropical or subtropical humid areas where disease are the problem. Vigor is not required as it is in general short cycle. Resistance to soil born diseases and increased vigor and production.

• Aubergine and pepper. Not fully successful. Grafting offers only a protection against some soil born diseases, but not a real increase in Successes and Failures

• Watermelon - Successful . Excellent disease protection and large increase

in production.

• Cucumber – Successful. Mainly for disease control (fusarium) in soil

(counter season production through winter). Extra vigor is a help to grow

through the winter. In high-tech there is no added value of grafting.

• Melon. Difficult. The yield increase is not as clear as in watermelon, even if

the disease resistances are there. In some countries melon grafting has a bad

image because of bad taste influence (but this is 100% related to crop

management). But melon grafting is now quite common in France and Italy

and there is a slow start in Spain, Morocco and CAM. Tomato grafting- Japanese method Cucurbit Grafting

Splice graft • Cut the rootstock with an angle of 45º, keeping one cotyledon • Cut the scion with the same angle below the cotyledons • Stick with a clip • Move to a grafting room or similar • With squash rootstock, root can be removed Splice Grafting Cucurbit Grafting

Approach graft

• Cut a slit halfway through the stem of the rootstock

• Cut an oppositely angled slit halfway through the stem of the

scion

• Match the slits so that they overlap and then seal with

aluminum foil or grafting clip

• Place root balls of both rootstock and scion together in the

same cell

• Return to greenhouse or other growing area

• Remove top portion of rootstock about 9 days after grafting,

and scion roots 12 days after grafting Approach Grafting Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Grafting Techniques

Advantages Disadvantages • Easy technique • Need a very precise control of • No additional work after grafting humidity, temperature and light

• No pruning after grafting (climatic room)

graft Splice

• Relatively easy technique • Needs extra work (pruning) after • No need for a precise control of grafting, in two times graft humidity light and temperature: • Affinity is less than splice graft normal conditions of greenhouse (less contact surface)

are enough Approach Rijk Zwaan Rootstocks Full range of rootstocks

Rijk Zwaan has a full range of rootstocks, for most crops. – Tomato – Aubergine – Sweet pepper – Cucumber – Melon – Watermelon Tomato rootstocks Vision and goals • One rootstock doesn’t fit for all tomato varieties, all growing conditions  development of a full range

• Our goals are: – Maximum resistance packages – Differing levels of vigor – Adaptablity to many growing conditions Rootstock Background

• Tomato • Interspecific hybrids between Solanum lycopersicum and Solanum habrochaites. • Emperador, Bruce, Stallone, Kaiser • Resistances & vigor • Other options- eg. Hybrids of Solanum lycopersicum (Ralstonia sp.) • Anchor. Shield Rootstock Background (Watermelon, Melon)

• Watermelon

• Cucurbita maxima X Cucurbita moschata, also an interspecific cross

combining vigor and resistances.

• Can be grafted on Lagenaria siceraria (Pelops RZ) which has less vigor and

the same resistances. Main advantage then is earliness. This is commonly

used in South Europe, Mexico and Chile.

• Melon

• Cucurbita maxima X Cucurbita moschata, also an interspecific cross

combining vigor and resistances.

• Can be grafted on Cucumis melo (Sphinx RZ). This is a growing market in

France and Italy. New cucurbitaceae rootstocks Cobalt RZ

• Interspecific rootstock, high vigour. • Good combination with cucumber, melon and watermelon varieties • Well balanced plant without excess of vigour • Earlier than other interspecific rootstocks New cucurbitaceae rootstocks Sphinx RZ

• Melon specific rootstock • Fusarium 1,2 and Powdery Mildew resistance • Good fruit setting in cold conditions • Suitable for early crops Watermelon grafting in Spain

• In Spain: • 1) Main rootstocks are interspecifics. Varieties are RS 841 (Seminis), Shintoza (Intersemillas) and Strongtosa (Syngenta). The key is the price and unfortunately RZ is out of the market for this reason. Also the companies that are leader are also leader in watermelon. • 2) Main grafting method is still Approach, even if a few nursery are offering splice grafiting with higher quality. Grafting in Turkey

• In Turkey: • 1) Main rootstocks are interspecifics. Varieties are TZ 148 (Clause-Tezier), RS 841 (Seminis), Ferro (RZ). They also use some Lagenaria: Macis (Nunhems) and Pelops (RZ). • 2) Main grafting method is Splice. Thank you