Screening of Pepper and Tomato Grafted Seedling Cultivars for Intumescence Susceptibility

Abstract

Intumescence is a physiological disorder in which epidermal cells become enlarged, thereby decreasing the commercial value of crops. This disorder occurs under low-UV and high-humidity conditions, similar to the environment in the LED healing chambers used for grafted plug seedling production. In addition, the incidence of intumescence can differ depending on the cultivar involved. Therefore, in this study, different pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cultivars were grafted to identify those susceptible to intumescence. The pepper and tomato seedlings in this study were grafted the same day and were immediately moved into an LED healing chamber. From the results, intumescence was observed in all pepper cultivars. The pepper cultivar ‘Sunhan Gilsang’ was found to be highly susceptible to intumescence given its highest incidence of intumescence in leaf. However, tomatoes only occurred in ‘TY Haruakki’ and ‘TTM-130’. The results of this study can serve as primary data for those in charge of selecting experimental cultivars to prevent intumescence in pepper and tomato-grafted seedlings.