Abstract
Abstract Watermelon [ Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai] grafting is commonly used for management of diseases caused by soilborne pathogens; however, little research exists describing the effect of grafting on the weed-competitive ability of watermelon. Field experiments determined the response in yield, fruit number, and fruit quality of grafted and nongrafted watermelon exposed to increasing densities of Palmer amaranth ( Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson). Grafting treatments included ‘Exclamation’ triploid (seedless) watermelon grafted on two interspecific hybrid squash rootstocks ‘Carnivor’ and ‘Kazako’, with nongrafted Exclamation as the control. Weed treatments included A. palmeri at densities of 1, 2, 3, and 4 A. palmeri plants per watermelon planting hole (0.76-m row) and a weed-free control. Increasing A. palmeri densities caused significant reductions (P <0.05) in marketable watermelon yield and marketable fruit number. Watermelon yield reduction was described by a rectangular hyperbola model, and 4 A. palmeri plants planting hole −1 reduced marketable yield 41%, 38%, and 65% for Exclamation, Carnivor, and Kazako, respectively. Neither grafting treatment nor A. palmeri density had a biologically meaningful effect on soluble solids content or on the incidence of hollow heart in watermelon fruit. Amaranthus palmeri seed and biomass production was similar across weed population densities, but seed number per female A. palmeri decreased according to a two-parameter exponential decay equation. Thus, increasing weed population densities resulted in increased intraspecific competition among A. palmeri plants. While grafting may offer benefits for disease resistance, no benefits regarding weed-competitive ability were observed, and a consistent yield penalty was associated with grafting, even in weed-free treatments.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing Palmer amaranth density significantly reduced marketable watermelon yield and fruit number.
- Taxon
- Watermelon
Citrullus lanatuse1 - Treatment
- Increasing A. palmeri densitiese0
- Interactor
- Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson
Amaranthus palmerie2weed - Outcome
- marketable watermelon yield and marketable fruit numbere0
- Direction
- reductionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Increasing A. palmeri densities caused significant reductions (P <0.05) in marketable watermelon yield and marketable fruit number.”
e1“Watermelon [ Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai]”
e2“Palmer amaranth ( Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson)”
Claim · model-written summary
At four Palmer amaranth plants per planting hole, Exclamation marketable yield fell 41%.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Material
- Exclamatione0
- Treatment
- 4 A. palmeri plants planting hole −1e0
- Interactor
- A. palmeriAmaranthus palmerie0weed
- Outcome
- marketable yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 41%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“4 A. palmeri plants planting hole −1 reduced marketable yield 41%, 38%, and 65% for Exclamation, Carnivor, and Kazako, respectively.”
e1“Watermelon [ Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai]”
Claim · model-written summary
At four Palmer amaranth plants per planting hole, Carnivor marketable yield fell 38%.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Material
- Carnivore0
- Treatment
- 4 A. palmeri plants planting hole −1e0
- Interactor
- A. palmeriAmaranthus palmerie0weed
- Outcome
- marketable yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 38%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“4 A. palmeri plants planting hole −1 reduced marketable yield 41%, 38%, and 65% for Exclamation, Carnivor, and Kazako, respectively.”
e1“Watermelon [ Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai]”
Claim · model-written summary
At four Palmer amaranth plants per planting hole, Kazako marketable yield fell 65%.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Material
- Kazakoe0
- Treatment
- 4 A. palmeri plants planting hole −1e0
- Interactor
- A. palmeriAmaranthus palmerie0weed
- Outcome
- marketable yielde0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Value
- 65%e0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“4 A. palmeri plants planting hole −1 reduced marketable yield 41%, 38%, and 65% for Exclamation, Carnivor, and Kazako, respectively.”
e1“Watermelon [ Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai]”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting and Palmer amaranth density had no biologically meaningful effect on watermelon soluble solids or hollow heart.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse0
- Treatment
- grafting treatment nor A. palmeri densitye0
- Interactor
- A. palmeriAmaranthus palmerie0weed
- Outcome
- soluble solids content or on the incidence of hollow hearte0
- Direction
- Neithere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Neither grafting treatment nor A. palmeri density had a biologically meaningful effect on soluble solids content or on the incidence of hollow heart in watermelon fruit.”
Claim · model-written summary
Palmer amaranth seed and biomass production was similar across weed densities.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Interactor
- Amaranthus palmeriAmaranthus palmerie0weed
- Outcome
- Amaranthus palmeri seed and biomass productione0
- Direction
- similare0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Amaranthus palmeri seed and biomass production was similar across weed population densities”
e1“watermelon fruit”
Claim · model-written summary
Seed number per female Palmer amaranth decreased with weed density.
- Taxon
- watermelonCitrullus lanatuse2
- Treatment
- Increasing weed population densitiese1
- Interactor
- A. palmeriAmaranthus palmerie0weed
- Outcome
- seed number per female A. palmerie0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“seed number per female A. palmeri decreased according to a two-parameter exponential decay equation.”
e1“Increasing weed population densities resulted in increased intraspecific competition among A. palmeri plants.”
e2“watermelon fruit”
Claim · model-written summary
Grafting showed no benefit for weed competitive ability and carried a yield penalty even without weeds.
- Taxon
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatuse1
- Treatment
- graftinge0
- Outcome
- consistent yield penaltye0
- Direction
- penaltye0
- Qualifier
- even in weed-free treatmentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“no benefits regarding weed-competitive ability were observed, and a consistent yield penalty was associated with grafting, even in weed-free treatments.”
e1“Watermelon [ Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai]”
The same questions in other papers
grafting · disease · Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)Positive and negative results
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See all 13 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.