Methods and compositions for the inhibition of meristematic growth on cucurbit rootstock

Abstract

The invention provides methods of inhibiting the growth of a shoot apical meristem of a cucurbit rootstock plant, comprising contacting a shoot apical meristem of the cucurbit rootstock plant with an effective amount of a composition comprising one or more fatty alcohols, thereby inhibiting the growth of the shoot apical meristem of the cucurbit rootstock plant. The present invention further provides methods for preparing and producing cucurbit rootstock plants for grafting and methods for grafting. Additionally provided are cucurbit rootstock plants and plant parts and grafted cucurbit plants produced by the methods of the invention.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A cucurbit rootstock plant produced by (a) contacting a shoot apical meristem of the cucurbit plant with an effective amount of a composition comprising one or more fatty alcohols during the time period from when the cucurbit plant's cotyledons open until the appearance of the first true leaf, thereby inhibiting the growth of the shoot apical meristem of the cucurbit plant and (b) producing said curcurbit rootstock plant. 
     
     
         32 . A grafted cucurbit plant produced by (a) contacting a shoot apical meristem of a cucurbit rootstock plant with an effective amount of a composition comprising one or more fatty alcohols prior to grafting; and (b) grafting a cucurbit scion onto the cucurbit rootstock plant of (a). 
     
     
         33 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 31 , wherein at least one nonstructural carbohydrate is increased in said cucurbit rootstock plant. 
     
     
         34 . The grafted cucurbit plant of  claim 32 , wherein at least one nonstructural carbohydrate is increased in said grafted cucurbit plant. 
     
     
         35 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 31 , wherein the composition comprises N-hexanol fatty alcohol (C 6 ), N-octanol (C 8 ) fatty alcohol, N-decanol (C 10 ) fatty alcohol, N-dodecanol (C 12 ), N-tetradecanol, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         36 . The grafted cucurbit plant of  claim 32 , wherein the composition comprises N-hexanol fatty alcohol (C 6 ), N-octanol (C 8 ) fatty alcohol, N-decanol (C 10 ) fatty alcohol, N-dodecanol (C 12 ), N-tetradecanol, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         37 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 31 , wherein the composition comprises N-octanol (C 8 ) fatty alcohol and/or N-decanol (C 10 ) fatty alcohol. 
     
     
         38 . The grafted cucurbit plant of  claim 32 , wherein the composition comprises N-octanol (C 8 ) fatty alcohol and/or N-decanol (C 10 ) fatty alcohol. 
     
     
         39 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 35 , wherein the composition comprising one or more fatty alcohols comprises FAIR 85®, Offshoot-T®, Sucker Plucker®, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         40 . The grafted cucurbit plant of  claim 36 , wherein the composition comprising one or more fatty alcohols comprises FAIR 85®, Offshoot-T®, Sucker Plucker®, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         41 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 31 , wherein the composition comprises a concentration of 2% (volume/volume) to about 40% (volume/volume) of fatty alcohols or about 2% (volume/volume) to about 20% (volume/volume) of fatty alcohols. 
     
     
         42 . The grafted cucurbit plant of  claim 32 , wherein the composition comprises a concentration of 2% (volume/volume) to about 40% (volume/volume) of fatty alcohols or about 2% (volume/volume) to about 20% (volume/volume) of fatty alcohols. 
     
     
         43 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 31 , wherein the cucurbit plant is a wild watermelon rootstock plant, a bottle gourd rootstock plant, an interspecific squash rootstock plant, figleaf gourd, wax gourd,  C. moschata, Cucumis hystrix  Chakrav.  Cucumis hytivus  J. F. Chen & J. H. Kirkbr.,  Cucumis metuliferus  E. Mey ex Naud,  Cucumis melo , and/or other wild-type cucurbit. 
     
     
         44 . The grafted cucurbit plant of  claim 32 , wherein the cucurbit rootstock plant is a wild watermelon rootstock plant, a bottle gourd rootstock plant, an interspecific squash rootstock plant, figleaf gourd, wax gourd,  C. moschata, Cucumis hystrix  Chakrav.  Cucumis hytivus  J. F. Chen & J. H. Kirkbr.,  Cucumis metuliferus  E. Mey ex Naud,  Cucumis melo , and/or other wild-type cucurbit. 
     
     
         45 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 43 , wherein the bottle gourd rootstock plant is  Lagenaria  spp. or  Lagenaria siceraria , the interspecific squash rootstock plant is  Cucurbita maxima×Cucurbita moschata , the figleaf gourd is  Cucurbita ficifolia , the wax gourd is  Benincasa hispida  and the wild-type cucurbit is  C. lanatus, Citrulus lanatus  subsp.  lanatus ‘Ojakkyo’,    Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  mucosospermus, Cucumis africanus , or  Cucumis myriocarpus.    
     
     
         46 . The grafted cucurbit plant of  claim 44 , wherein the bottle gourd rootstock plant is  Lagenaria  spp. or  Lagenaria siceraria , the interspecific squash rootstock plant is  Cucurbita maxima×Cucurbita moschata , the figleaf gourd is  Cucurbita ficifolia , the wax gourd is  Benincasa hispida  and the wild-type cucurbit is  C. lanatus, Citrulus lanatus  subsp.  lanatus ‘Ojakkyo’, Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  mucosospermus, Cucumis africanus , or  Cucumis myriocarpus.    
     
     
         47 . The grafted cucurbit plant of  claim 32 , wherein the cucurbit scion is a watermelon plant ( Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  lanatus  or  Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  mucosospermus ), a melon plant ( Cucumis melo ), an oriental melon plant ( Cucumis melo  var.  makuwa ) or a cucumber plant ( Cucumis sativus ). 
     
     
         48 . A method of increasing the grafting success rate between a cucurbit rootstock plant and a cucurbit scion plant, comprising
 grafting a cucurbit scion onto the cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 31 , wherein the grafting success rate of the rootstock to the scion is increased.   
     
     
         49 . The method of  48 , wherein the rootstock plant is a wild watermelon rootstock plant, a bottle gourd rootstock plant, an interspecific squash rootstock plant, figleaf gourd, wax gourd,  C. moschata, Cucumis hystrix  Chakrav.  Cucumis hytivus  J. F. Chen & J. H. Kirkbr.,  Cucumis metuliferus  E. Mev. ex Naud.,  Cucumis melo , and/or other wild-type cucurbit. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein the bottle gourd rootstock plant is  Lagenaria  spp. or  Lagenaria siceraria , the interspecific squash rootstock plant is  Cucurbita maxima×Cucurbita moschata , the figleaf gourd is  Cucurbita ficifolia , the wax gourd is  Benincasa hispida  and the wild-type cucurbit is  C. lanatus, Citrulus lanatus  subsp.  lanatus ‘Ojakkyo’, Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  mucosospermus, Cucumis africanus , or  Cucumis myriocarpus.    
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein the cucurbit rootstock is a bottle gourd plant and the scion is a watermelon plant ( Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  lanatus ); the cucurbit rootstock plant is an interspecific squash rootstock plant and the scion is a watermelon plant ( Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  lanatus  or  Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  mucosospermus ), a melon plant ( Cucumis melo ), an oriental melon plant ( Cucumis melo  var.  makuwa ) or a cucumber plant ( Cucumis sativus ); the cucurbit rootstock plant is a figleaf gourd plant and the scion is a cucumber plant; the cucurbit rootstock plant is  Cucurbita moschata  and the scion is a cucumber plant or a watermelon plant; the cucurbit rootstock plant is wild watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  lanatus  or  Citrullus lanatus  subsp.  mucosospermus ) and the scion is a watermelon plant; the cucurbit rootstock plant is  Cucumis melo  var.  makuwa  and the scion is a melon plant; or the cucurbit rootstock plant is wax gourd and the scion is a watermelon plant.