1st training school on

Vegetable grafting

Catania, 23rd–26th September 2014

Department of Agricultural and Food Science of Catania University (http://www.unict.it/)

Location

Selection process

Collection of application (about 30)

Curricula evaluation

Final selection

Criteria selection:

- early Stage Researches (PhD less than 8 years and publications on grafting);

- PhD student and publications on grafting;

- Msc and publications on grafting.

15 participants 1 Bulgaria 1 Croatia 2 Greece 1 Hungary 1 India (rep. Italy) 3 Italy 1 Latvia 1 Malta 1 Portugal 1 Spain 1 Syria (rep. Italy) 1 Turkey

Program - Tuesday 23rd September

08.00 – 09.00: Arrival and registration 09.00 – 09.15: Welcome, presentation of the action and introduction to the School (Cherubino Leonardi) 09.15 – 09.30: Participants presentation

First session Vegetable grafting to enhance the resistance to biotic stress Dr. Rita Grosh - Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) Grosbeeren, Germany basics on plant protection, root functioning

major diseases by fungi and bacteria and their mode of infection

effects of grafting on certain diseases

Vegetable grafting to enhance the resistance to abiotic stress Dr. Georgia Ntasi - Researcher in Agriculture University of Athens, Greece what is grafting and why grafting is needed

grafting union formation process

optimum conditions required

major abiotic stress factors

Second session Genetic resource and biotechnological breeding strategies to generate new rootstocks Prof. Andrew Thompson - Soil and AgriFood Institute, Cranfield University (UK) breeding approaches: how the genetic variations created and being deployed for

selecting or breeding a suitable rootstock

genetic resources: origin of species, area of distribution and discovered potential source of resistance name and location of the source (gene banks) of potential rootstock germplasms crosses made for transferring specific traits

genomic resources: how available genomic resources of principal vegetables could be used to improve the crop performance and the rootstocks

breeding targets for water use: importance of root architecture in water stress condition

Third session Rootstock-scion communication Dr. Ian Dodd – Lancaster Environmental Centre, Lancaster University, United Kingdom how root system affects the shoot physiology

rootstock’s importance in determining root-to-shoot and shoot-to-root signaling, especially under abiotic stress

process of collecting xylem (and phloem) saps from grafted plants for assaying the xylem sap for osmotic and ionic status

how to determine the rootstock effects on leaf water relations

practical activities: porometer, WP4, pressure chamber on 2 sets of tomato plants (well irrigated, water stressed)

Graft compatibility Dr. Ana Pina, Unidad de Hortofruticultura, Cita de Aragòn, Zaragoza, Spain factors and molecular mechanisms responsible

graft compatibility and incompatibility in different species when crossed across with related or distant species

changes at anatomical level resulted from the compatibility or incompatibility

changes occurring in enzymes and hormones as a consequence of grafting

how reactive oxygen species inhibit root ethylene induction and auxin transport

transport and release of auxin during the development of the union

Third session

The role of rootstock to improve fruit quality Graft compatibility Prof. Cherubino Leonardi and Prof. Francesco Giuffrida, Department of Agricultural and Food Science, Univesirty of Catania, Italy fruit quality, its component and its importance in relation to different point of

view

factors attributing the fruit quality characteristics (environmental, technical, biological and post-harvest)

how qualitative traits change in relation to rootstock

practical activities: use of instruments related to fruit quality analysis

Fourth session

The Experience of a nursery Dr Giovanna Causarano, R&D Manager, Centro Seia, Italy role of rootstocks in cultivation

diffusion of interspecific hybrids

pros and cons of common rootstocks of solanaceous and cucurbitaceous vegetables grafting: one of the solution for pests and diseases

types of substrates for the raising vegetables seedlings including grafted plants germination, especially of the interspecific hybrid rootstock (problem for grafting operation)

efficiency of grafting per unit time for different crop (robot? requirement of uniform stem thickness for grafting, etc. )

laser technique to make cut or incision (avoid specific disease)

Fifth session

The experience of seed companies Dr Martin van Stee - Tomato rootstock breeder Enza Zaden

Enza Zaden company’s profile

breeding tomato rootstock

strategies of company to develop or breed tomato rootstock:

screening potential rootstocks genotypes for better root characteristics

digital phenotying of roots of the genotypes

The experience of seed companies Dr David Herzog - Rootstock Coordinator Rijk Zwaan rootstocks of specific purpose (resistance/tolerance to diseases, nematodes, vigor in plant growth, fruit quality of the scion yield and quality)

breeding goals in developing rootstocks of different vegetables

Sixth session

Conclusion and …….

Certificate Delivery

Program – Friday 26th September

Technical visits to Centro Seia (Ragusa Province)

practical activies on grafting, with rootstocks and scion cultivars of solanaceous and cucurbitaceous plants

visited the automated substrate filling and seed sowing unit, incubation chambers and the greenhouse

visits to a vegetable farm specialized into grafted tomato in soilless cultivation

(rockwool) and another farm specialized in grafted eggplant

Trainees hare submitting a report (about 6000 characters) on the Training School

For the reimbursement…

Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent

Did the course meet your expectations?

1 11 4

Clarity and easy of understanding were

1 3 8 4

Time allocation of topics was

2 2 6 6

Depth and level of detail was

6 9 1

How far did you benefit from the material?

1 6 8 1

How did you find correlation between lectures and practical activity?

1 5 8 2

Evaluation form results: course content

94 %

75 %

75 %

63 %

56 %

63 %

Evaluation form results: course trainers

Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent

How did you find the trainers’ performance?

5 7 4

The activities and learning methods used were

1 3 11 1

How far were the trainers clear in the topic presentation?

6 8 2

How far were the trainers available for students’ enquiries?

1 2 1 12

How far were the trainers resourceful? 2 9 5 The trainers’ ability to communicate and respond to the group were (e.g. interest maintained, relevant examples)

1 2 9 4

69 %

75 %

63 %

81 %

88 %

81 %

Evaluation form results: organization

Poor Fair Good Very Good Excellent

How did you find the course organization? 6 10

How did you find the school venue? 3 5 8

How did you find breaks and meals? 1 2 7 6

The welcome was 2 3 11

Not int A little

int Fairly

int Interested Very int

How far were you interested in vegetable grafting before the course?

1 5 5 5

How far were you interested in vegetable grafting after the course?

1 2 13

Evaluation form results: trainee

100%

81 %

81 %

88 %

63 %

94 %