The Effect of Rootstock Cultivation with Different Specifications of Plugs on the Growth,Yield and Quality of Rootcutting Grafted Muskmelon
[Objective]To screen suitable plug specifications for mechanical seeding of rootstock with root-cut splice grafting.[Method]Differ-ent plug specifications were used for rootstock seedling cultivation,and then the rootstock was cut off and grafted onto muskmelons.The growth parameter of rootstock and grafted muskmelon seedlings,and the yield and quality were determined.[Result]With the increase of rootstock so-wing density,the stem diameter,root dry weight,aboveground dry weight,total dry weight and seedling strength index of rootstock seedlings all showed a downward trend.The stem diameter,root dry weight,aboveground dry weight and seedling strength index of grafted melon seed-lings showed a decreasing trend,with T1,T2,T3 and T4 treatments being higher than self rooted seedlings.The number and volume of grafted melon root systems showed a decreasing trend,with no significant difference between T2 and T3 treatments.The single fruit weight and the yield of muskmelon also showed a downward trend.The single fruit weight and the yield of grafted muskmelon were higher than those of self rooted seedlings.Among them,T1,T2,and T3 treatments were 19.1%,18.7%,and 18.5%higher than the self rooted seedlings,respectively.The soluble solid content in the center and edges of T1,T2,and T3 treatments was higher than that of self rooted seedlings,and there were no dead seedlings in the field.[Conclusion]From this,it can be seen that using 50 hole,72 hole,and 105 hole tray for rootstock seedling cultivation is beneficial for the growth and development,yield,and quality formation of grafted muskmelons.Taking into account the cost of seedling culti-vation,using 105 hole tray for rootstock seedling cultivation has better economic benefits.