BIOMASS NUTRIENT CONCENTRATION AND UPTAKE OF GRAFTED AND NON-GRAFTED PEPPER PLANTS

Study was conducted to compare nutrient concentrations and nutrient uptakes of grafted and non-grafted pepper. The F1 hybrid, long type 'Efil' (Asgen, Turkey) was grafted on commercial rootstocks, 'Guclu' (GrainesVoltz, Tiirkiye). Un- grafted 'Efir'cultivar and itself grafting Efil/Efir were also used as control. The experiment was conducted until the harvest. Plants were fertigated during the growth periods containing Hoagland nutrient solution. After the harvest, ten plants were cut above ground the soil randomly. Each plant was cleaned, dried, weighted and analyzed for mineral element. Results showed that plant dry weight did not vary depending on the grafting. Plant P and Ca concentrations obtained from the grafted and non-grafted peppers significantly varied each other; however, other nutrient concentrations did not vary significantly. Although, plants P, Ca and Cu uptakes showed variation between grafted and non-grafted peppers, other nutrient uptakes were not affected from the grafting.