Assessing Grafted Triploid Watermelon and Yellow Nutsedge Growth in Saline Agroecosystems

Increasing salinity levels in soils are threat to food production worldwide. While there is research focused on reducing the impacts of high salinity on crops, these studies are typically conducted in the greenhouse because of the difficulty of setting up field trials and the long-term negative impacts of soil salinization. The objective of this study was to assess the response of grafted watermelons to saline irrigation water in a field setting. Two common rootstocks were selected to assess the use of grafting in saline conditions: Carolina Strongback, a Citrullus amarus cultivar, and ‘Carnivor’, a Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata hybrid. Citrullus amarus cultivars (a type of wild watermelon/citron melon) have been used to control many biotic stressors, and Cucurbita maxima hybrids can be used for their rapid growth and resistance to colder ground temperatures. ‘Melody’, which is a popular seedless watermelon cultivar, was used as the scion for all plots. To simulate a water source inundated with salt water, sea water was collected directly from the Atlantic Ocean at a nearby boat landing and mixed with fresh water to obtain target treatment levels