Grafting and calcium cyanamide as alternatives to methyl bromide for greenhouse eggplant production

Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) seedlings (cv. Tsakoniki) were cultivated in soil artificially infested with V. dahliae Kleb. and then sterilized by either methyl bromide (MB) or calcium cyanamide. Grafted seedlings on the wild species Solanum torvum Sw. and the control seedlings (auto-rooted) were cultivated in soil sterilized by MB and then artificially infested with V. dahliae. The plants grafted on S. torvum and the ones grown in soil treated with calcium cyanamide (2001) exhibited significantly lower leaf symptom index (average value LSI = 1.55 and LSI = 1.00) and disease index (average value DI = 2.05 and DI = 1.20), respectively, as compared to the controls (average value LSI = 3.80 and DI = 5.50). Grafted plants on S. torvum and plants grown in soil treated with calcium cyanamide (2001) were more vigorous, as measured by plant height, stem diameter and root biomass than the controls. This resulted in an increased (over years) early (487.8% and 416.2%, 2001) and late production (277.0% and 241.3%, 2001) and mean fruit weight (over years) in early (93.7% and 49.6%, 2001) and late production (38.3% and 22.8%, 2001) as compared to the controls. In conclusion, grafting of eggplant and soil sterilized by calcium cyanamide had positive effects on growth, production and Verticillium wilt control.