title: Fruit quality assessment of watermelons grafted onto citron melon rootstock.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The grafting of watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) is a common technique that increases yield under stressful soil conditions. The most common rootstocks for watermelons are Cucurbita hybrids. However, they often have a negative impact on fruit quality. Exploiting novel Citrullus germplasm such as citron melon (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides) is an alternative to avoid these quality problems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Citron melon has been validated as watermelon rootstock, comparing its effects on watermelon quality to those of Cucurbita hybrids. Larger fruits with thicker rinds were observed in fruits from plants grafted onto both citron and Cucurbita rootstocks. The citron melon had no significant effect on flesh sugars or acid profiles compared to non-grafted watermelons, except for an increase in glucose and malic acid content, which also occurred in the Cucurbita rootstocks. The aroma profile of fruits produced on citron melon was similar to that of the non-grafted and self-grafted controls. The citron rootstock did not display the increased levels of (Z)-6-nonen-1-ol (a compound associated with pumpkin-like odors) found in fruits produced with Cucurbita hybrids.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The low impact of citron melon rootstock on fruit quality, along with the enhanced resistance against nematodes, make the citron a promising alternative to Cucurbita rootstocks. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Universitat Jaume I, Campus de Riu Sec, 12071, Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fredes
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciencias Agrarias y del Medio Natural, Universitat Jaume I, Campus de Riu Sec, 12071, Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roselló
authors.affiliation: Instituto Universitario de Plaguicidas y Aguas (IUPA), Universitat Jaume I, Campus de Riu Sec, 12071, Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beltrán
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cebolla-Cornejo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pérez-de-Castro
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gisbert
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Conservación y Mejora de la Agrodiversidad, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera, 46022, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: María Belén
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Picó
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids / Q000032:analysis; D029773:Citrullus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000254:growth & development*; D028464:Cucurbita; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D009005:Monosaccharides / Q000032:analysis; D009812:Odorants; D018517:Plant Roots; D013030:Spain; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000143:Acids; D009005:Monosaccharides; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
keywords: Citrullus lanatus; aroma profile; fruit quality; grafting