Grafting: A sustainable approach for nematode management in solanaceous vegetables

Solanaceous vegetables are nutritionally and pharmacologically important crops owing to their rich composition of bioactive compounds, including alkaloids, antioxidants, vitamins and phenolic compounds, which contribute to disease prevention, health promotion and various therapeutic applications. The productivity and quality of solanaceous vegetable crops are substantially constrained by plant-parasitic nematodes, particularly root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.), which pose a major threat to sustainable production. These nematodes can spread through infected seedlings, contaminated planting materials, irrigation water, farm machinery and other agricultural practices, facilitating their establishment and dissemination in production systems. Vegetable grafting using nematode-tolerant or resistant rootstocks has emerged as an effective and environment friendly method for nematode management. Grafting enhances plant resilience by combining desirable scion characteristics with the nematode resistance or tolerance of suitable rootstocks, thereby reducing nematode damage and supporting sustainable crop production.