The effect of different endemic rootstock of cucurbits on low temperature stress of grafted cucumber ‘Super daminos’

The present study to evaluate the effects of various Cucurbitaceae rootstocks on vegetative growth f­actors under different temperatures on cucumber var. super daminos. The experiment was conducted in in a completely randomized design at Isfahan University of Technology greenhouses. Combined test in two places with optimum temperature (25±2/8 18±1/7; day/ night) and minimum temperature (15±2/5 / 12±1/2; day/ night), and 11 rootstock: 1- Cucurbita pepo, 2- Lagenaria siceraria 3- Cucurbita moschata cv.isfahan 4- Cucurbita moschata cv.babol 5- Cucurbita moschata cv. sari 6- Momordica charantia 7- Cucumis sativus cv. babol 8- Cucurbita maxima 9- C. maxima × C. moschata v. ferro 10- self grafted cucumber on super daminos rootstock 11- ungrafted super daminos rootstock as control treatment. Results indicated that plant length decreased with temperature reduction and among rootstocks Cucurbita moschata cv. sari had the least lenght. Temperature significantly impressed greenness index and reducing with temperature greenness index in endemic and Ferro rootstocks increasing. Also internode length reducted with decreasing temperature and the least length was under low temperature in C. moschata and the highest was at M. charantia under optimum temperature. Shoot fresh and dry weight with reducing temperature decreased so that the least amount of shoot fresh and dry weight was in C. moschata and L. siceraria. Rootstocks and temperature positively impress earliness and with temperature reduction C. moschata showed the fastes earliness. In many rootstocks with temperature reduction photosynthesis rate decreased but, in M. charantia, self grafted, C. sativus cv. Babol and ungrafted rootstock photosynthesis rate with decreasing temperature increased. With temperature reduction mesophyll conductance reduced unlike in self grafted and M.charantia rootstocks with decreasing temperature mesophyll conductance increased. The effect of temperature and rootstocks were significant on number of male flowers. With temperature reduction number of male flowers decreased C. moschata, Ferro and C. sativus cv. Babol had the least number of male flowers. Also rootstock and temperature impress number of harvested fruit and the maximum fruit in Ferro and C. moschata under low temperature were observed. Grafting improved nutrient absorption specially phosphorous and potassium under low temperature. Finally, it can be concluded that in most evaluated parameters like earliness, number of male flowers, greenness index, plant length, root length and shoot fresh weight grafting has positive effect. Moreover, growth and yield parameters of super daminos cucumber under low temperature with grafting on C. moschata cv. Babol, C. moschata , cv. Sari, C. sativus cv. Babol C. moschata, and Ferro were improved.