Grafting as a tool for tolerance of abiotic stress.

Abstract

The use of grafted vegetable plants can minimize problems associated with successive cropping and abiotic stress, and their enhanced vigour and root growth can provide yield benefits independently of mechanisms to tolerate abiotic stress conditions. Therefore, the application of grafting in crops of the Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae is currently acknowledged worldwide; however, two main challenges remain when grafted plants are used as a tool to improve abiotic stress tolerance. One is the selection of the ideal rootstock-scion combination that matches the actual or expected abiotic stress factors. The other is to improve our understanding of the underlying tolerance mechanisms, which may support the breeding of rootstocks that broaden the abiotic stress tolerance (robustness) of vegetable crops. This chapter presents the current knowledge on these two issues organized by individual abiotic stress factors, i.e. temperature (cold and heat), salinity, excessive and deficient nutrient availability, metalloids and heavy metals, adverse soil pH, drought, flooding and waterlogging.