Phytochemical characteristics of grafted watermelon on different bottle gourds (Lagenaria siceraria) collected from the Mediterranean region of Turkey

The objective of this study is to determine the sugar, organic acid, and carotenoid content of Crimson Tide watermelons grafted onto bottle gourd genotypes collected from the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The experiment was carried out during the 2008 and 2009 growing season. Grafting on the local bottle gourd rootstocks improved the total soluble solid (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), TSS/TA ratio, sugar, organic acid, and carotenoid (beta-carotene and lycopene) contents of Crimson Tide fruits. Grafting also altered the ratios among the sugars of Crimson Tide watermelon fruits. Among the Crimson Tide/rootstock (CT/rootstock) combinations, the CT/09-01 and CT/07-06 graft combinations with higher sucrose, lycopene, and total carotenoid content were found promising to increase the quality of Crimson Tide fruits. Commercial rootstocks (Macis and Argentario) reduced carotenoid content compared to the control.