Panaji: Ponda-based cultivator Nitin Borkar’s horticulture journey has been rife with challenges as he encountered wilt and fungal infections in his vegetables. However, after cultivating 100 grafts each of brinjal and tomato, sourced from other states, the results are smile-inducing. “The trial indicates strong potential for grafted crops under local conditions,” Borkar told TOI.The state directorate of agriculture’s pilot project introducing grafted vegetable crops in Goa is showing early promise, with reports of stronger plants, longer crop cycles, and better disease resistance. Borkar is among the early adopters of this project.Among the key offerings is the Sahu tomato, grafted onto Solanum melongena rootstock (Solmel). The scion produces firm, red fruits with a longer shelf life, while the rootstock enhances resistance to bacterial wilt and root-knot nematodes. This improves plant vigour and can raise yields by 25–30%, with an expected output of 25 to 35 tonnes per hectare. The crop is suitable for both summer and rainy seasons, with recommended spacing of 60–75cm by 45–60cm.Another variety, the 212 VNR brinjal grafted onto Solanum torvum rootstock (Solata), produces oblong purple fruits with strong market appeal, while the rootstock provides resistance to bacterial and fusarium wilt. Yields are estimated at 20–30 tonnes per hectare, with spacing of 60–75 cm on both sides.In the pilot phase, around 3,000 tomato grafts, 2,000 brinjal grafts and 300 chilli grafts were bought from Uttarakhand and Maharashtra earlier this year and distributed for cultivation. These were planted around Feb and have now entered the harvest phase, marking the first such trial for farmers.“This is the first year we are trying these grafts, and so far, the results are good,” Dattaprasad Desai, the deputy director of agriculture, told TOI. “One of the biggest advantages is that these plants can survive for more than eight months, allowing farmers to continue harvesting for a longer duration, ” said Desai.Grafting, a technique that combines a high-yielding plant variety with a disease-resistant rootstock, addresses challenges such as wilt, a major cause of crop loss in vegetables in Goa.“There is no major problem of wilt in these crops, which is usually a big concern. That is a significant benefit we are observing. We have also planted them at the Goa College of Agriculture, Old Goa, to study their performance under different conditions,” the deputy director said.
