Growth and Yield of Eggplants Grafted by a Newly Developed Robot

Abstract

Eggplant ( Solanum melongena L.) at the two-leaf stage were grafted on scarlet eggplant ( Solanum integrifolium Poir.) by hand or a newly developed robot. The scion and rootstock were fixed with an elastic tube for hand grafting or with an adhesive and a hardener for robotic grafting. After acclimatization, the grafted plants were planted at the three- or 11-leaf stage in a glasshouse. Plants grafted by the robot showed a higher percentage of survival, and attained the three- and 11-leaf stages 8 days earlier on average than those grafted by hand. Stems were longer, and shoot fresh mass and fruit yield of plants were higher for the three-leaf-than for the 11-leaf-stage planting, irrespective of the grafting method. Such vigorous growth and high yield by robotic grafting were absent for the 11-leaf-stage planting but obvious for the three-leaf-stage planting.