Effect of Type of Wrapping Material and Incubation Conditions on Success of Bud Grafting in Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.)

Abstract

Experiments were conducted in the nurseries of the College of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Shambat, during the last week of July to the end of October 2006. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of different wrapping tapes on budding efficiency and subsequent scion growth and development of budded grapefruit. Buds of grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.) cultivar “Redblush” were budded on 12-month old sour orange (Citrus aurantium L.) seedlings. The buds were wrapped with one of the following wrapping tapes as treatments: rubberized, cellotape, cellophane, black plastic stripes and electrical tapes. The budded seedlings were placed under three different incubation conditions namely: greenhouse, lath house and outdoor under field conditions. A randomized complete block design was used, with five types of tape as treatments and each replicated eight times with 40 grafted plants placed under each of the three incubation conditions. Parameters measured at the end of the experiment included: percent bud-take, shoot length and number of leaves. The results showed that the type of tape significantly affected percent bud-take, shoot length and number of leaves. Rubberized tape gave the highest values for all measured parameters; cellotape came second, while plastic strips gave the lowest values for all measured parameters. On the other hand, greenhouse conditions resulted in the highest values for all parameters measured followed by the lath house, while the outdoor conditions gave the lowest recorded values