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Grafted ridge gourd (beera grafting)

Cucurbit grafting is a well-established practice in vegetable cultivation, originating in East Asian intensive systems and validated in India by ICAR-IIHR Bengaluru. For ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula, beera), grafting onto a wilt-tolerant rootstock confers Fusarium wilt resistance, additional root vigour and yield enhancement over seedling-raised plants.

Principle

Soil-borne Fusarium wilt and other root pathogens limit cucurbit productivity in repeatedly cropped land. By grafting a high-yielding ridge-gourd scion onto a wilt-tolerant rootstock species, the susceptible scion escapes soil pathogens while retaining its commercial fruit characteristics. The technique is the same as that used for grafted brinjal (see Grafted Brinjal Seedlings) and grafted watermelon and cucumber.

Implementation

  • Rootstock options: bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and Cucurbita interspecific F1 hybrids selected for Fusarium tolerance
  • Graft method: hole insertion, tongue approach or splice grafting at the 1-2 true-leaf stage
  • Healing: maintained in a chamber at 28-30 deg C and 90-95% relative humidity for 5-7 days
  • Transplanting: hardened seedlings transferred to the field at 25-30 days

The grafted seedlings are typically trained on pandiri (overhead trellis) systems to allow long fruit drop and easy harvest.

Adoption context

Commercial propagation of grafted ridge-gourd seedlings is concentrated in Andhra-Telangana vegetable nurseries that supply growers in the Krishna-Godavari and northern Telangana belts. The technique is most economic where Fusarium wilt or repeated cucurbit cropping has reduced yield from non-grafted plants and where pandiri infrastructure justifies a multi-cutting harvest schedule.

Limitations

The grafted seedling commands a price premium over direct-seeded ridge gourd, and the field must be managed to prevent the scion from rooting independently above the graft union (which would defeat the disease escape). Some interspecific rootstocks alter fruit shape, surface gloss or shelf life and must be matched carefully to the scion variety and to market preference.

See also: Grafted Brinjal Seedlings, Kadiyam Nursery Belt, Fruit Research Station Sangareddy.

References

  1. Solanum torvum and Cucurbit Grafting. Longdom Open Access.
  2. Grafting in Vegetables: A Review. Vegetos (Springer).