Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service of the US department of agriculture have found that by grafting watermelon onto squash and gourd rootstock, fruit characteristics are improved making it ideal for the fresh-cut market.
Benny Bruton, a plant pathologist with the service in Oklahoma has found that grafted watermelons are resistant to fusarium wilt and 25 to 30 per cent firmer than fruit grown in the control group in trials. Bruton and his colleagues also found that as well as fusarium, other soil-borne pathogens also posed less of a threat to the grafted fruit.
The discovery could be an important breakthrough given the phase out of methyl bromide which has traditionally sterilised soils against such pathogens. Although a number of other cultivars have been developed that are resistant to fusarium, they have not offered the same fruit firmness or the same degree of resistance as the grafted fruit.
"Grafting isn't going to be for everyone," Bruton said. "Producers have to evaluate their situation and see what will work best for them. Our evidence so far indicates we have a much firmer fruit, and firmness is one of the more important qualities for customer satisfaction."
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