THE EFFECT OF GRAFTING ON THE PLANT GROWTH IN TWO BELL PEPPER VARIETIES
Albina KIKA, Skender KACIU, Rukie AGIC, Gordana POPSIMONOVA, Biljana DRVOSHANOVA
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth dynamics of two bell pepper hybrids grafted onto three commercial rootstocks, in open field and greenhouses. The experiment was conducted in Kosovo on Gelby F1 and Vedrana F1 as rootstocks and Sm Tant, Vital Paprika and ‘6210’ as scions in randomized block design over a period of three years. The plant growth dynamics were measured, starting 15 days after transplanting and every 10 days until the beginning of full harvest, as well as the stem diameter that was measured below the first bifurcation. A two-way ANOVA with repeated measures was performed to analyze the effect of Grafting status and Environment in five consecutive growth stages. The analyses revealed that there were statistically significant differences within subjects and between subjects regarding the Grafting status and Environment. Grafting significantly and consistently improved plant growth dynamics, although final plant height showed divergence. This variability was evident across different growth stages and was not solely attributed to grafting or production conditions.
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