Introduction to Tomato Tube Grafting Technology and the Difference Between Manual and Mechanical Grafting

Tomato is a vegetable we all love to eat. In terms of tomato cultivation techniques, we also have many methods. Do you know about tomato grafting technology? Would you like to learn about it?

Tube grafting technology
The common grafting method for tomatoes is the slant-cut graft, which requires external objects to help secure it, such as various grafting clips, rubber tubes, bone needles and plastic pins, to increase the tight connection between scion and rootstock. Among these, rubber tubes (bicycle inner tube air-stopping tubing, a method developed by the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center), because they have the characteristics of being inexpensive, easy to operate, good at retaining moisture and having a high survival rate, are widely adopted by ordinary farmers.

At present, the tube grafting technology widely used in the country mainly uses eggplant as the rootstock and tomato as the scion, and can be divided into two types: manual grafting and mechanical grafting.

⟦NL> Manual grafting method

First, use eggplant and tomato seedlings with stems about 1.8~2.8mm thick. Using an ultra-thin blade, choose the rootstock seedling above the cotyledons and close to the first true leaf, and cut it off at a 30-degree angle; hold the lower stem of the rootstock lightly with the left hand; with the right hand, take a section of rubber tubing with an inner diameter of about 2mm and a length of about 8mm; insert it onto the cut stem until the tubing is half deep. For the scion seedling, choose the part above the first true leaf where the inner stem size matches the rootstock, and likewise cut it off at a 30-degree angle. With the right hand, hold the rootstock plant upright and gently pinch the tubing; with the left hand, lightly hold the scion; align the slanted cut surface of the scion with the slanted cut surface of the rootstock; insert downward into the rubber tube; push gently and straight to ensure the cut surfaces of rootstock and scion are fully in close contact.

Mechanical grafting method
Mechanical grafting differs from manual grafting. Apart from taking seedlings, hanging seedlings and moving grafted seedlings into plug trays, which are done manually, the rest of the grafting process is entirely completed by machine. First, use eggplant and tomato seedlings with stems about 2.2~3mm thick. Take the eggplant seedling with the left hand, place the stem into the left rootstock clamping clip of the grafting machine, and press the left foot switch to complete rootstock clamping. Take the tomato seedling with the right hand, place the stem above the first true leaf into the right scion clamping clip of the grafting machine, and press the right foot switch to complete scion clamping (if skilled, both hands can take and hang seedlings at the same time). The grafting machine then automatically completes the grafting action, and the completed grafted seedlings are automatically sent out and taken back by hand to be placed into plug trays.

The completed grafted seedlings must be placed in a healing room for about 2~3 days to heal, then moved into the facility for about one week, after which they can be planted in the field. After planting, the grafting tube on the seedling naturally falls off due to the growth of the inner stem and aging caused by sunlight exposure, with no need to worry about manually loosening the tube, making it more labor-saving than other grafting methods.