Effects of Grafting on Cucumber Growth under Flooding Stress during 15 Days in Vegetative Stage

In this study, the effects of flooding stress on grafted cucumber were examined over time. A factorial experiment based on a complete randomized design was conducted with three plots including 9 plants in each plot. Water status treatments included optimum irrigation and flooding stress for 15 days and three cucumber treatments consisted of grafted cucumber (Cucumis sativus var. Isfahan) into Cucurbita maxima×Cucurbita moschata ‘Ferro’= R1 and ‘Cobalt’= R2; and Non-Grafted cucumber= NG was used as the control. Some physiological and growth parameters were measured 3 times in the vegetative stage to follow the effect of flooding stress when used on grafted cucumber. The results showed that K concentration decreased by flooding in the non-grafted, while R1 and R2 could efficiently uptake K in the flooding condition. Both decreasing photosynthesis and water potential of the plant were observed in non-grafted cucumber, reducing the transpiration and stomatal conductance, resulting in more water content in plants and increasing the fresh weight of grafted cucumbers. Grafted cucumber, i.e., R1 and R2 effectively maintained their growth under flooding stress, seemingly by using a different mechanism: R1 by increasing water potential for preserving water and R2 by improving photosynthesis, could successfully keep the growth of grafted-cucumbers under the flooding stress.