Food and Fertilizer Technology Center - About

Rationale

Grafted fruit vegetables have received more attention as growers and researchers found the positive impacts of significant yield increasing, diseases resistance, quality improvement, and more vigorous to overcome adverse conditions etc. These benefits have already had a significant impact in sustainable agriculture. Factors for a successful grafting depend highly on: 1) genetic characteristics, 2) vigorous, and 3) affinity of rootstock and scion; 4) grafting operational techniques; 5) environmental regulations during healing period; 6) incubation of grafted seedlings.

At present stage, tomatoes’ grafting techniques are popularly used in the Asian and pacific region countries. Ever since 1900, the Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam learned the techniques through the Headquarter of world vegetable center (AVRDC) located in Taiwan. Now days, Vietnam has large-scale planting of bacterial wilt resistance grafted tomato. In Taiwan, 80% watermelon production was from grafted seedlings to deal with the sequential cropping induced disease and to increase their tolerance to high ambient temperatures and drought. To increase summer tomatoes’ production, Taiwan use wild eggplant rootstock to increase it resistance to flood and bacterial wilt.

Now days, grafted fruit vegetables still relied highly on men grafting. Grafting work requires appropriate training and accumulated experiences to manage. Due to the lack of manpower and the increasing demand of grafted seedlings, many countries start to development grafting operations mechanization and automation technology to alleviate the shortage of manpower needs of grafting. Take Netherland ISO Group company as an example, their 2013 developed tomatoes/eggplant grafting machine have already reached to the efficiency of 1000 seedlings/hour, which is 5.6 times efficient than manual operation of 180 seedlings/hour. Japan, Korea, and Taiwan also tried to develop automation grafting system, and now the mechanical to manual efficiencies are 1 to 4.4, 1 to 3.8, and 1 to 1 respectively.

This workshop is aim to 1) Collect and collate grafting technology and industrial development status of countries in the Asia-Pacific region; 2) Demonstrate Taiwan’s grafting technology and successful grafting industries; 3) Strengthen cooperative research and industrial development partnerships; and 4) Extend FFTC’s global impact by increasing database information 

Objectives

1. Collect and collate grafting technology and industrial development status of countries in the Asia-Pacific region
2. Demonstrate Taiwan’s grafting technology and successful grafting industries
3. Strengthen cooperative research and industrial development partnerships
4. Extend FFTC’s global impact by increasing database information  

• Draft a plan on how different countries can cooperate in getting good disease resistant stock planting materials and conduct multi-location trials;
• Disseminate and promote information on the best practices for plant grafting, e.g., uniformity of seedling size;
• Follow-up research  to develop rootstocks that can help biotic and abiotic stress; 
• Organize more activities for international collaboration; and
• Maximize the presence of organizations like AVRDC which can share seeds and planting materials.

Plenary Session I

Technical Application and Economic Benefits of Global Vegetable Grafting: An Overview       
Dr. Tao Ming WANG

Present State of the Grafting of Solanaceae Vegetables in Japan       
Dr. Hiroshi MATSUNAGA

Status of Vegetable Transplant Industry and Grafting Technology in Korea       
Dr. Tae Cheol SEO

Country Report I

Indonesia Dr. Mizu ISTIANTO
Development of Grafting Technology to Support Fruit and Vegetable Business in Indonesia       

Thailand Surapong DUMRONGKITTIKULE
Next Generation of Vegetable Grafting Utilization under Biotic and Abiotic Stress for Vegetable Production in Thailand       

Philippines Ms. Niña R. ROSALES
Technical, Business Issues and Challenges of Fruit-Vegetable (Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae) Grafting in the Philippines       

Plenary Session II

Current Situation of Grafted Vegetable Seedling Industry and Its Development of Mechanization in Taiwan       
Dr. Hsueh Shih LIN

Development of Grafting Robotic Systems for Fruit Vegetable Seedlings       
Dr. Yi Chich CHIU

Grafting Tomatoes for Production in the Hot-Wet Season       
Dr. Jaw Fen WANG

Grafting Tomatoes to Overcome Salt Stress       
Dr. Wuu Yang CHEN

Country Report II

Korea Dr. Se Woong AN
Technical, Business Issues and Challenges of Fruit-Vegetables (Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae) Grafting in Korea       

Malaysia Ms. Farahzety ABDUL MUTALIB
Current Status and Future Prospects of Vegetable Grafting in Malaysia       

Vietnam Dr. Quang Vinh NGO
Grafted Tomato in Viet Nam from 0 to 7,000 ha/year