Grafted tomato propagation and production: relative seedling vigor, graft compatibility, and on-farm yield of 23 cultivars^©

INTRODUCTION
Rootstock (RS) and scion cultivar selection is the first step in preparing grafted plants. Propagators must consider the relative vigor of seedlings before they are grafted and RS-scion compatibility. Ultimately, cultivars are chosen based on their performance on farms. Grafted plants will be made and used more widely and effectively when research-based information on seedling vigor, cultivar compatibility and plant performance is more abundant and accessible.
The hypothesis was that seedling vigor, graft success and/or grafted plant performance (yield) on farms differed among RS and scion cultivars and their combinations.
We tested this hypothesis by documenting: (a) the growth rates of seedlings of 18 RS and 5 scion cultivars, (b) the percentage of healthy grafted plants representing all 90 RS-scion combinations, and (c) their performance on farms.