Plant Gene and Trait 2025, Vol.16, No.4, 142-151 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/pgt 147 2018). In greenhouses, this type of rootstock can also make the plant structure more balanced, the fruiting period longer, and the final yield and fruit quality better (Lee et al., 2020). In addition, dwarfing rootstocks can also enhance the adaptability of plants to adverse environments such as salt, drought and high temperature, and are suitable for long-term cultivation in high-density and protected areas (Khapte et al., 2022). 7.2 Compatibility with mechanical harvesting and pruning Dwarfing rootstocks can help control the height and branching pattern of the plants, making the plants grow neatly and easier for mechanical harvesting and pruning (Hayat et al., 2021). Because of its compact plant shape, manual pruning and fruit picking are much easier. After selecting the dwarfing rootstock, the fruit distribution on the plant is more uniform and concentrated, which is convenient for machine harvesting (Lee et al., 2020). 7.3 Role in labor and resource efficiency In addition to the plant type advantage, dwarfing rootstocks can also reduce the chance of pest and disease occurrence and make management simpler (Hayat et al., 2021). In terms of the use of water and fertilizer, it can enable roots to absorb more efficiently, especially in soilless cultivation or environments with tight water and fertilizer, the effect is more obvious (Khapte et al., 2022). Moreover, after using dwarfing rootstocks, the fruit ripening was more uniform, the harvest period was longer, the number of harvests could be reduced, the grading cost could be lowered, and overall more manpower and resources could be saved (Lee et al., 2020). 8 Case Study: Successful Application of a Dwarfing Rootstock in Commercial Tomato Farming 8.1 Location and environmental conditions of the case study This case is selected from the Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA. Most of the tomatoes here are grown under dryland conditions, meaning they are not irrigated throughout the entire growing season. This place has a temperate climate. It is dry and hot in summer with little rainfall. Tomatoes often face the problem of water shortage and are prone to physiological problems such as blossom-end rot (BER) (Davis et al., 2024). 8.2 Description of rootstock- scion combination and management practices In the experiment, two dwarfing rootstocks, ‘DRO141TX’ and ‘Fortamino’, were used and grafted onto multiple tomato varieties, such as ‘Azoychka’, ‘Astrakhanskie’, ‘BHN 871’, ‘Big Beef’, etc. In terms of management, a unified grafting process was adopted, and a field management method without irrigation was used. At the same time, the yield, quality and disease conditions were regularly recorded. All grafting groups and control groups were planted in the same plot, and comparative experiments were conducted under the same management standards for three years (Davis et al., 2024). 8.3 Outcomes: yield stability, fruit quality, economic return The total yield and the number of large fruits of tomatoes grafted with dwarfing rootstocks were both higher than those of the control group over the past three years. Both ‘DRO141TX’ and ‘Fortamino’ can increase the yield per plant and the average fruit weight, and the incidence of blossom-end rot has decreased significantly. Some varieties have reduced the disease by 69% to 93% (Davis et al., 2024). Grafted fruits are not only larger, have a better appearance, and a higher proportion of commercial fruits, but also have fewer problems. Overall, they are more competitive in the market. More importantly, due to the improved yield and appearance, the economic benefits of tomato cultivation after grafting are far higher than those of tomatoes without grafting. Under drought and adverse conditions, this approach brings more stable and higher income security to growers. 9 Current Limitations and Research Gaps 9.1 Limited availability of elite dwarfing rootstock varieties At present, the number of high-quality dwarfing rootstocks available on the market is still limited, and in many cases, they cannot meet the needs of different regions and planting conditions. Although some dwarfing rootstocks have been relatively maturely applied to fruit trees such as apples and citrus fruits, for other crops like tomatoes, there are still very few dwarfing rootstocks that are truly suitable for different environments. This is mainly due to the long breeding cycle, complex genetic background and slow speed of new variety development (Hayat et al.,
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