Title: | Workshops: Tomato Grafting Techniques for Soil-Borne Disease Resistance | |
| CSANR Project 106 | Status: ongoing | |
| Annual Entries: | X2012:106 (2012) | |
| PI(s): | Carol Miles | |
| Progress Reports: | (2012) http://www.tfrec.wsu.edu/pdfs/P2793.pdf | |
| Project Summary: | Tomato and watermelon can be significantly impacted by Verticillium wilt, a soil-borne disease common throughout Washington. Symptoms impact plants later in development after most production costs have been incurred, resulting in a 25-100% crop loss in some years. Grafting vegetable crops onto resistant rootstock is a cultural control method that provides an organic and sustainable alternative to soil fumigation. Grafting has been used successfully in Asia for nearly 100 years, but is only now being adopted in the U.S. Based on work done in our CSANR Project 76 “Vegetable grafting for Verticillium dahliae resistance” (Miles and Inglis 2010-11), we have developed extension publications outlining low-cost grafting techniques and set-up of greenhouse healing chambers for tomatoes. This new proposed project will: 1.) develop fact sheets for watermelon grafting techniques, and 2.) extend information gained regarding tomato grafting to farmers, plant propagators, and Master Gardeners. Workshop participants will be trained so they can successfully propagate their own grafted vegetables. Master Gardeners will pass along their knowledge of grafting techniques and equipment to clients, including cooperators from high school garden projects, demonstration gardens, and home and community gardens. | |
