Grafting English Cucumber Onto a Gourd Rootstock Improves Pot Cucumber Yield and Disease Resistance in Greenhouse

Greenhouse production of high value vegetables from late fall to early spring provide farmers opportunity to target peak market prices and capitalize on the rising demand for locally grown produce. Low yield and disease problems are the main limiting factors for production during this period. This study focuses on evaluating grafted cucumber (grown in pots) as a potential high value crop, thus improving greenhouse output. We tested the grafting of cucumber scions onto a selected gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) rootstock for yield improvement and disease resistance. The results showed that grafted plants produce more fruits than the non-grafted control.  Grafted Camilla plants yielded 4.6lbs more fruits per plant than non-grafted plants; additionally grafted plants showed improved disease resistance. Grafted fruit taste is comparable to the non-grafted control. This research helps to prove that specific gourds can be a good rootstock candidate for off season cucumber production in greenhouses by improving output per square feet.