Proteomic study participating the enhancement of growth and salt tolerance of bottle gourd rootstock-grafted watermelon seedlings

► Bottle gourd grafting to improve watermelon salt tolerance studied by proteomics. ► Enzymes in Calvin cycle, glycolytic pathway and TCA cycle were increased. ► Biosynthesis of amino acids, peroxisome and carotenoid were also increased. ► Increased salt resistance depends on enhancement of these metabolic processes.