Vegetable Grafting Training for Horticultural Professionals

Vegetable grafting has been successfully practiced in many Asian and European countries for production of high value vegetable crops such as tomato, eggplant, pepper, cucumber, melon and watermelon. This technique, however, is new to most horticultural professionals in the United States. With the root system from a properly chosen rootstock, grafted vegetables are usually more vigorous, more heat tolerant or cold hardier, more tolerant to root nematodes, and more resistant to some devastating soil-borne diseases. The objective of this program was to train educators as well as growers in this emerging vegetable grafting technique. This SARE funded training program was conducted as an In-Service Education through University of Missouri Extension and Lincoln University of Missouri Cooperative Extension in 2010. Forty-five Extension Horticulturists from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Illinois attended this two-day intensive training covering grafting history; the biology, anatomy, physiology and tolerance or resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses of grafted vegetable plants; as well as a half-day hands-on training on various grafting methods and another half day farm tour of vegetable production with  grafted vegetable plants. Over 60% of Educators participated in the training offered similar but more hands-on workshops to growers in their service areas. The efforts from the project director and participating educators have reached to over 1155 vegetable producers and master gardeners including more than 120 underserved farmers of African Americans, Amish and Mennonites, Asians and Hispanics. Many vegetable farmers have adapted this technique in their commercial tomato production, especially under a high tunnel setting. Many Farmers’ Market Vendors reported increased yield, quality, vigor, and disease resistance of grafted heirloom tomatoes. This “new” technique has been well recognized by vegetable growers and master gardeners in Missouri and its neighboring states.