Evaluation of Compatibility, Growth Characteristics, and Yield of Tomato Grafted on Potato ('Pomato')

The aim of this study was to evaluate the grafting compatibility of different varieties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) scions on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rootstocks to develop a 'pomato' plant. In this study three potato varieties; Diamant (P1), Cardinal (P2) and Asterix (P3), and two tomato varieties; Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) tomato-2 (T1) and BARI tomato-11 (T2) were used to make the grafted combinations T1P1, T1P2, T1P3, T2P1, T2P2 and T2P3, designated G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, and G6, respectively. Tomato seedlings aged 25 (S1) and 35 days (S2) were selected as scions. Graft compatibility was analyzed based on the growth and yield of the pomato plants. The results revealed that varieties and scion age had a significant effect on the pomato fruit and tuber yield. The initiation of flowering was not affected by the various graft combinations; however, plant height, leaf number, branch number, number of clusters per plant, number of fruit per cluster, number of fruit per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, single fruit weight and total fruit yield per plant were higher in G5S1 among the combinations. On the other hand, the number of tubers per plant, single tuber weight, and tuber yield per plant were highest for a few combinations. Overall, it was concluded that Cardinal (P2) and Asterix (P3) potato were the most compatible for grafting with BARI tomato-11 (T2) at the scion age of 25 days (S1), based on vegetative growth and fruit and tuber yield of pomato plants

Evaluation of lettuce growth, yield, and economic viability grown vertically on unutilized building wall in Dhaka City

Production of safe food in the densely populated areas of the developing countries is the most challenging issue due to the speedy urbanization, fragile food transportation facilities, and reduced farmlands. Given this background, a study was conducted to evaluate the agronomic properties and economic viability of lettuce grown vertically in the wall of building in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Two lettuce cultivars (V1: Green wave and V2: New red fire) and three organic growing media (P1: 40% soil + 40% vermicompost + 20% coir; P2: 50% soil + 50% vermicompost; P3: 20% soil + 40% vermicompost + 40% spent mushroom compost) along with control (P0:100% soil) were used. The results revealed that plant height, leaf area, fresh weight, dry weight, and total yield of leaf lettuce were significantly increased when the green-leafed cultivar (VI) was grown in the P1 compared to all other treatments, but V2 got maximum sensory attribute scores when grown in the P1. Lettuce leaves grown in the formulated growing media (P1, P2, and P3) had higher microbial infestation whereas, a lower content occurred in the P0. The higher economic return was observed in V1P1. These results provided baseline information for further study on urban commercial vertical farming on the building walls. These demonstrate the agronomic and economic potential for vertical farming in densely populated areas but emphasize the need for optimized food safety strategies

Evaluation of Compatibility, Growth Characteristics, and Yield of Tomato Grafted on Potato (‘Pomato’)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the grafting compatibility of different varieties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) scions on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) rootstocks to develop a ‘pomato’ plant. In this study three potato varieties; Diamant (P1), Cardinal (P2) and Asterix (P3), and two tomato varieties; Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) tomato-2 (T1) and BARI tomato-11 (T2) were used to make the grafted combinations T1P1, T1P2, T1P3, T2P1, T2P2 and T2P3, designated G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, and G6, respectively. Tomato seedlings aged 25 (S1) and 35 days (S2) were selected as scions. Graft compatibility was analyzed based on the growth and yield of the pomato plants. The results revealed that varieties and scion age had a significant effect on the pomato fruit and tuber yield. The initiation of flowering was not affected by the various graft combinations; however, plant height, leaf number, branch number, number of clusters per plant, number of fruit per cluster, number of fruit per plant, fruit length, fruit diameter, single fruit weight and total fruit yield per plant were higher in G5S1 among the combinations. On the other hand, the number of tubers per plant, single tuber weight, and tuber yield per plant were highest for a few combinations. Overall, it was concluded that Cardinal (P2) and Asterix (P3) potato were the most compatible for grafting with BARI tomato-11 (T2) at the scion age of 25 days (S1), based on vegetative growth and fruit and tuber yield of pomato plants