Nitrogen-use efficiency traits of mini-watermelon in response to grafting and nitrogen-fertilization doses

摘要

Two experiments were conducted to study the effect of grafting on nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) in mini-watermelon plants. In the first study, mini-watermelon plants (Citrullus lanatus [Thumb.] Matsum. and Nakai cv. Minirossa) either ungrafted or grafted onto Macis, Vita (Lagenaria siceraria [Mol.] Standl.), PS1313, and RP15 (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne × Cucurbita moschata Duchesne) rootstocks grown in hydroponics were compared in terms of shoot dry biomass, leaf area, root-to-shoot ratio, SPAD index, shoot N uptake, and nitrate reductase (NR) activity 40 d after transplantation in response to nitrate concentration in the nutrient solution (0.5, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, or 20 mM of NO). In the second experiment, the suitability of a selected rootstock with high NUE (Vita) to improve crop performance and NUE of grafted mini-watermelon plants was evaluated under field conditions. In the hydroponic experiment mini-watermelon grafted onto Vita rootstock needed the lowest nitrate concentration (1.31 mM of NO₃) in the nutrient solution to reach half maximum shoot dry weight. Total leaf area, SPAD index, and shoot N uptake increased in response to an increase of N concentration in the nutrient solution. At 2.5 mM NO, mini-watermelon grafted on either Vita or RP15 had the highest NR activity whereas no significant difference was observed at 10 mM NO. The open-field study indicated that increasing N-fertilization rates from 0 to 100 kg ha–1 improved total and marketable yields of mini-watermelon plants while decreasing NUE. When averaged over N levels, the marketable yield, NUE, N-uptake efficiency, and N-utilization efficiency were significantly higher by 39%, 38%, 21%, and 17%, respectively, in Minirossa grafted onto Vita compared to ungrafted Minirossa plants. Therefore, grafting mini-watermelon plants onto selected rootstocks can be used as a quick and effective method for improving productivity and NUE.