The effects of grafting and rootstocks in order to obtain tolerance to salinity in melons

In this study, it was examined how can be increased tolerance of susceptible melon genotypes to salt stress by the use of salt-tolerant rootstocks when melon grafted on melon. For this aim 2 experimetns carried out. First one was a pot experiment in growth chamber, and 5 melon genotypes 3 of them salt-tolerant and 2 of them salt-susceptible with their 17 reciprocal grafting combinations were grown under 150 mM NaCl stress in vermiculite. According to the results of this study, 2 tolerant (Mln-9 and Mln-28) and 1 susceptible (CU-40) melon genotypes were chosen and their 7 grafting combinations cultivated in coconut fiber in 50 mM salt stress in greenhouse for fruit. In the experiments, a series of morphological and physiological measurements and analyzes were done. These are scoring symptomatic injuries in genotypes according to scale 0-5, fresh and dry weights of shoot, fresh and dry weights of root, number of leaf, height of plant, leaf area, membrane damage index, SPAD chlorophyll meter readings, leaf relatif water content, leaf water potential, leaf osmotic potential, stomtal conductance, of N, P, K and Cl concentrations in leaf and root, fruit yield and fruit dry matter production were examined. The effects of the rootstock/scion were discussed. In growth chamber experiment in general, tolerant rootstocks positively supported to suscetbile scions for the measured parameters, however in some parameters rootstock/scion affinity seemed to be quite important. In greenhouse experiment in saline, when the suscetible scion CU 40 was grafted onto the tolerant rootstocks Mln 9 and Mln 28, scion vegetative growth was decreased, scion fruit set and fruit dry matter was increased.