Abstract

The first experiment was carried out under green house and involved nine treatments: ‘Tsuyoi’ cucumber, ‘Shelper’ squash and ‘Green-stripped cushaw squash’ ungrafted plants and ‘Tsuyoi’ cucumber plants grafted onto ‘Shelper’ squash and ‘Green-stripped cushaw squash (lower, mid and upper region of the recommended and non-recommended rootstock, respectively). After grafting, plant tissue samples were collected 1, 4, 7, 10 and 13 days after grafting for analysis of peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) and polyphenol oxidase (EC 1.10.3.1) activity. In the second experiment, yield and number of marketable fruits were evaluated. The differences in peroxidase activity at the rootstock region and in polyphenol activity at the region between the scion and the rootstock seem to be determining factors for a successful grafting process, increasing the yield and the number of marketable fruits.

Key words: Cucumis sativus, antioxidant enzymes, yield, Japanese cucumber.