A recent study by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has highlighted vegetable grafting as a promising climate-smart technique to increase the resilience and income of smallholder farmers. When used in combination with protected cultivation methods like Naturally Ventilated Polyhouses (NVPH), grafting significantly enhances crop productivity.
This innovative approach involves joining a high-yielding vegetable variety, known as the scion, with a hardy rootstock that can better withstand environmental stress. The findings, published in Frontiers in Agronomy, are striking: tomato plants grafted onto Solanum torvum rootstocks and cultivated in polyhouses yielded nearly 64% more than their non-grafted counterparts grown in open fields.
Researchers observed that these grafted plants not only showed improved vigor but also produced fruit over a longer harvesting period, with three to five additional pickings. Such results indicate a strong potential for grafting to overcome challenges typically faced in open-field farming, such as erratic weather and poor soil conditions.
Dr. Stanford Blade, Deputy Director General – Research & Innovation at ICRISAT, emphasized that this combination of grafting and protected cultivation could be a "game-changer" for smallholder farmers, offering both increased income and climate resilience.
The economic benefits were also clear. Grafted vegetables grown under NVPH settings delivered the highest returns in terms of gross income, net profit, and benefit-cost ratio, making the practice not only agronomically sound but financially rewarding. Additional plant advantages included larger leaves, greater chlorophyll content, and more robust fruit development, all of which contribute to healthier, more productive plants.
Dr. Ramesh Singh, Interim Director at ICRISAT, underscored the importance of this research for regions vulnerable to climate variability, noting its potential to reshape horticultural systems and improve rural livelihoods.
Lead scientist Dr. Rohan Khopade pointed out that while tomatoes were the primary focus, the grafting method can be extended to other crops such as eggplant, chili, cucumber, gourds, and melons.
Dr. Gajanan Sawargaonkar, Principal Scientist at ICRISAT, highlighted the success of the GoAP–ICRISAT project in Andhra Pradesh, which has seen vegetable productivity rise by 30% to 150% through this technology.
With climate challenges mounting, vegetable grafting offers a scalable, non-GMO solution to strengthen food systems, provided farmers receive the necessary training, support, and access to the technology.
