Tag: grafting
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Question of the Week – Rootstock Growth
Why is this young peach tree developing shoots with purple leaves? The purple growth on this peach tree is coming from below the graft union. To help with disease resistance and other issues, peaches grown commercially in the US are always grafted. The rootstock (bottom portion of the tree) used may depend on the variety…
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More Evidence that Choosing Grafting or the Right Cultivar is More Important than Using Fungicides to Manage Fusarium Wilt of Watermelon
By Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath My 2024 Fusarium wilt experiment at Coastal REC, Charleston, SC, was a streamlined version of the 2023 experiment with 2 fungicides, 2 cultivars, and grafting, except we tested 1 different fungicide and 1 different cultivar. The 2024 results, however, matched the results from 2023 (see title). Already at 3…
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Question of the Week – Bacterial Wilt
This week, the question was: Why is this row of tomato plants dead, but the next row is perfectly healthy? The row on the left has succumbed to bacterial wilt. In the row on the right are grafted plants that had bacterial wilt resistance. You can see the night and day difference between the grafted…
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2023 Fusarium Wilt on Seedless Watermelon Experiment – Week 7 Observations
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath This year’s Fusarium wilt experiment includes 3 seedless cultivars, 3 fungicide treatments applied via drip irrigation, and grafting. This experiment is supported in part by a USDA SCRI grant. Transplants were set April 5 in a field infested with Fusarium races 1 and 2. These preliminary results are based…
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2023 Fusarium Wilt on Seedless Watermelon Experiment – Week 3 Observations
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath This year’s Fusarium wilt experiment includes three seedless cultivars, three fungicide treatments applied via drip irrigation, and grafting. This experiment is supported in part by a USDA SCRI grant. There also is a side experiment with SP-7 pollenizers grafted onto ‘Carolina Strongback’ rootstock and non-grafted SP-7 supported in part…
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Grafting Reduces Southern Blight on Tomato by 83%
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath. Southern blight has become more common on tomatoes grown without fumigation throughout the southern United States. A joint project between the University of Georgia and Clemson University looked at grafting as a management option. In the 2021 trial in Charleston, SC, grafting reduced the percentage of diseased plants from…
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Field Update – 3/2/20
Coastal Zack Snipes reports, “The horticulture team got the opportunity to tour some really nice greenhouse/transplant providers last week. One point I’d like to bring up is transplant quality. Yes, quality transplants cost more upfront but healthy, quick-growing plants will help you recoup your investment. I see lots and lots of subpar transplants going into…
The South Carolina Grower 