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.

That which is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cucurbit rootstock plant comprising:
 a chemically killed shoot apical meristem that has been 100% inhibited by contacting the shoot apical meristem with an effective amount of a composition comprising one or more fatty alcohols; and no cotyledons.   
     
     
         2 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 1 , further comprising a hypocotyl having an increased level of starch as compared to a hypocotyl of a cucurbit rootstock plant not having its shoot apical meristem contacted with the composition, wherein the level of the starch is increased by about 0.2-μg to about 8 μg/g by about day 14 to about day 21 post treatment with the composition. 
     
     
         3 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 1 , 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. 
     
     
         4 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises N-octanol (C 8 ) fatty alcohol and/or N-decanol (C 10 ) fatty alcohol. 
     
     
         5 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 1 , wherein the composition comprising one or more fatty alcohols comprises 0.5% C6 fatty alcohol, 42% C8 fatty alcohol, 56% C10 fatty alcohol, 1.5% C12 fatty alcohol and 15% inert ingredients (FAIR 85®); 36.2% C8 fatty alcohol, 48.2% C10 fatty alcohol, 0.3% C12 fatty alcohol and 15.3% other ingredients (Offshoot-T®); 0.5% C6 fatty alcohol, 42% C8 fatty alcohol, 56% C10 fatty alcohol, 1.5% C12 fatty alcohol and 15% other ingredients (Sucker Plucker®); or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 1 , 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. 
     
     
         7 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 1 , 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. 
     
     
         8 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 7 , wherein the bottle gourd rootstock plant is  Lagenaria  spp. or  Lagenaria siceraria , the interspecific squash rootstock plant is  Cucurbita maxima  x  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.    
     
     
         9 . The cucurbit rootstock plant of  claim 1 , wherein the cucurbit rootstock plant has a grafting success rate that is increased by at least about 25% when grafted to a cucurbit scion as compared to a control cucurbit rootstock plant grafted to a cucurbit scion, wherein the control cucurbit rootstock plant comprises a shoot apical meristem that was not contacted with an effective amount of a composition comprising one or more fatty alcohols.