A trial was carried out under protected cultivation to compare three grafting methods on growth, flowering and yield of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), hybrid Hokuho grafted on squash (Cucurbita maxima Duch.), hybrid Excite Ikky, at UNESP in Botucatu, Brazil. Plants were grafted by cleft, approach and tongue grafting, and compared with cucumber plants without grafting. Seedling survival, plant height, node number, hypocotyl diameter, days to flowering, number of female and male flowers, days to first harvest, number of aborted fruits, and commercial fruits per plant during five weeks were evaluated. The trial was carried out in a randomized complete block design, with five replications and two plants per plot. The greatest survival rate was obtained from non-grafted plants. Grafting methods had no influence on plant height, however, node number was greater in cleft grafted plants. Hypocotyl diameter and number of fruits which failed to set were greater in grafted plants than in non grafted ones. Grafting did not affect sex expression and commercial fruit yield per plant. Fruits harvested from grafted plants were shiny.
Cucumis sativus L.; Cucurbita maxima; grafting, protected cultivation
