Kongkea HAV1,
Channaty NGANG1,
Pao SREAN1*
David ADER2
Ricky BATES3
1Faculty of Agriculture and Food Processing, National University of Battambang, Cambodia;
2 Smith Center for International Sustainable Agriculture, University of Tennessee, USA;
3 Department of Plant Science, Penn State University, USA.
*Corresponding author: pao.srean@gmail.com
Abstract
In Cambodian, vegetables are difficult to grow in the wet season due to the wet conditions. Vegetable grafting is a
horticultural technique used to take advantage of genetic resources of multiple plant species in order to address
seasonal challenges. This study evaluated the suitability of eggplant rootstocks used for tomato grafting for production
in Cambodia. Three different eggplant rootstocks (i.e., local, market-available, and recommended eggplant cultivars)
were grafted with the tomato scions, using cleft grafting methods. The grafted seedlings were planted in the field to
determine plant growth and productivity. The results show that the survival rates and productivity of grafted tomatoes
were significantly greater than non-grafted plants. Grafting tomato scions onto local or market available eggplant
rootstocks can be used to deal with problem of too much water or rain at atypical times for tomato production in
Cambodia.
Keywords: climate change, flooding, hot-wet conditions, local rootstocks, vegetable grafting.
