Manuscript Topics

The dramatic effects of climate change on agriculture are well-documented and primarily encompass thermal and water stress, coupled with the spread of new pests and diseases. The development of tolerant rootstocks and cultivars with low susceptibility to altered abiotic and biotic conditions is among the most promising strategies to mitigate the negative effects of climate change on crop productivity, soil health, and water use. The main limitation to the spread of new genotypes is represented by the phenomenon of graft incompatibility. Since symptoms of anatomical abnormalities and eventual graft failure can take years to manifest, it is necessary to identify experimental procedures that are effective in early predicting scion/rootstock incompatibility. Although investigations have been very limited throughout the 20th century, in recent years significant efforts have been dedicated to study the mechanisms underlying graft formation. Successful grafting involves a sequence of morphological, physiological, and molecular events, which culminate in the establishment of vascular connections. Different approaches have been undertaken to identify potential early-predictive techniques of graft incompatibility to be employed in breeding programs. Qualitative-quantitative analysis of phenol accumulation at the graft union highlighted the role of certain molecules as predictive markers of graft incompatibility. Besides chemical traits, rootstocks may affect considerably physiological processes such as stomatal opening and closure, net CO2 assimilation, leaf chlorophyll content, and fluorescence rate. Finally, histological observations and morphological measurements could aid in further understanding the dynamics occurring during graft development. Despite the interest of researchers, nurserymen, and producers, substantial work remains to be done on many horticultural and ornamental species. This special issue addresses the most recent studies dealing with grafting dynamics and potential techniques to detect incompatibility.

Keywords
Graft incompatibility; phenolic compounds; chemical markers; stomatal conductance; chlorophyll content; propagation; HPLC; rootstocks; morphology; physiology; anatomy; callus fusion; histology; fruit crops.

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