Effects of Grafting with Different Rootstocks on Fruit Yield and Quality of Muskmelon Under Continuous Cropping
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe manuscript entitled: “Effects of Grafting with Different Rootstocks on Fruit Yield and Quality of Muskmelon under Continuous Cropping” by Hongxia Ye, Caiyu Zhang, and Bingliang Wang investigate the effects of different rootstocks on the yield and fruit quality of muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) under continuous cropping conditions. This study addresses a relevant and timely issue in melon production, particularly in southern China, where fusarium wilt disease poses a significant challenge. The topic aligns well with the thematic scope of Horticulturae journal and offers valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners in the field of horticulture.
The study is commendable for its practical relevance and thorough investigation of rootstock effects on muskmelon. The manuscript highlights the potential of grafting as a sustainable approach to mitigate fusarium wilt disease while maintaining or improving fruit yield and quality. Key strengths include:
1) A comprehensive experimental design that evaluates multiple rootstocks across two primary muskmelon cultivars.
2) The detailed analysis of yield and quality parameters, including total soluble solids (SSC), flesh texture, and flavor, which are critical for consumer acceptance.
3) Practical recommendations for suitable rootstock-scion combinations, providing actionable insights for the melon industry in Zhejiang Province.
Despite its strengths, the manuscript has several shortcomings that should be addressed. My specific comments are as follows:
1) Abstract - the practical implications of the findings could be more explicitly stated. For example, highlight how the identified rootstock-scion combinations could be adopted by growers. Furthermore, the abstract is too detailed and should be shortened, especially the initial part.
2) Keywords – the keywords should be revised to avoid redundancy with the manuscript title and should be arranged in alphabetical order.
3) Introduction - L108 - L116 - please discuss the research hypothesis.
4) Materials and Methods:
a) L119 - please add the scientific name of the studied species,
b) statistical analysis - the manuscript would gain in value if the authors considered using a slightly more professional statistical program to analyze the results of the study, such as Statistica. It would be good to indicate what statistical test was used to compare the mean values ​​for the studied features.
5) Results and Discussion - ensure that all figures and tables are labeled correctly and include complete captions for clarity. Figures 1, 2 and 3 and Tables 3, 4 and 5 - explain the abbreviation LRS and add information about what the values ​​presented after the +/- sign mean.
6) Conclusions - the section is currently too long and repetitive. This section should be concise, focusing on synthesizing the results and emphasizing their practical applications.
7) Template - please verify the entire manuscript thoroughly to ensure it complies with the template requirements required by the Horticulturae journal.
This manuscript is a meaningful addition to the literature on grafting and muskmelon production. The manuscript provides valuable contributions to the field of horticulture but requires revisions. The findings are highly relevant for the development of sustainable practices in melon cultivation, particularly under continuous cropping systems.
Author Response
Comments 1: Abstract - the practical implications of the findings could be more explicitly stated. For example, highlight how the identified rootstock-scion combinations could be adopted by growers. Furthermore, the abstract is too detailed and should be shortened, especially the initial part.
Response 1: Thank you for pointing this out. We agree with this comment. There, we condensed the abstract from L 8 to L27 and included the practical implications of our findings.
Comments 2: Keywords – the keywords should be revised to avoid redundancy with the manuscript title and should be arranged in alphabetical order.
Response 2: Agree. We revised and organized the keywords listed in L28 to L29.
Comments 3: Introduction - L108 - L116 - please discuss the research hypothesis.
Response 3: Agree. The research hypothesis posits that there are significant differences in the selection of ideal grafting rootstocks for various types of melon in L89-L90.
Comments 4: Materials and Methods:
a) L119 - please add the scientific name of the studied species,
- b) statistical analysis - the manuscript would gain in value if the authors considered using a slightly more professional statistical program to analyze the results of the study, such as Statistica. It would be good to indicate what statistical test was used to compare the mean values ​​for the studied features.
Response 4: Agree. a) the scientific name of the studied species was added in L102. b) The experimental data were reanalyzed using SPSS. The relevant information was updated in L181-183. Furthermore, the results of the statistical analysis were consistent with those of the previous analysis.
Comments 5: Results and Discussion - ensure that all figures and tables are labeled correctly and include complete captions for clarity. Figures 1, 2 and 3 and Tables 3, 4 and 5 - explain the abbreviation LRS and add information about what the values ​​presented after the +/- sign mean.
Response 5: Agree. We checked all figures and tables and made several modifications, and we provided the explanation and information in Figures 1, 2, and 3, as well as Tables 3, 4, and 5.
Comments 6: Conclusions - the section is currently too long and repetitive. This section should be concise, focusing on synthesizing the results and emphasizing their practical applications.
Response 6: Agree. The Conclusions section was shortened from L391-410
Comments 7: Template - please verify the entire manuscript thoroughly to ensure it complies with the template requirements required by the Horticulturae journal.
Response 7: Thank you again for your kindly reminder. The manuscript complies with the template requirements required by the Horticulturae journal.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThe manuscript "Effects of grafting with different rootstocks on fruit yield and quality of muskmelon under continuous cropping" delves into the effects of various combinations between scions and rootstocks on the yield and quality of a popular Cucurbitaceae, muskmelon. The study is practical and meaningful, while the writing is average even though the whole approach is mainly descriptive. My major comments are presented below:
· The work's main hypothesis is absent before the study's objective. Based on the above, the discussion section is a simple presentation of other studies, while a detailed discussion is missing.
· Why do authors choose the specific material, scions and rootstocks for testing? What are the desired characteristics? It is well known that melons generally have some issues with comparability. Any knowledge about the selected combinations?
Other issues
· Missing information about environmental conditions in the field.
· “One fruit was kept for ZT105, while two fruits were kept for ZT401”. Why this difference?
· Table 3, data for fruit shape, no description of the measurement in M&M section.
· The Conclusions section must be shorter without references to other studies.
Author Response
Comments 1: The work's main hypothesis is absent before the study's objective. Based on the above, the discussion section is a simple presentation of other studies, while a detailed discussion is missing.
Response 1: Agree. The research hypothesis posits significant differences in the selection of ideal grafting rootstocks for various melon types, as presented in L 89 to L90. Several modifications were made to the discussion section in L 207- L225. The presentation from other studies are primarily utilized for comparison and discussion in relation to the conclusions of this manuscript.
Comments 2: Why do authors choose the specific material, scions and rootstocks for testing? What are the desired characteristics? It is well known that melons generally have some issues with comparability. Any knowledge about the selected combinations?
Response 2: The selection of scion cultivars ZT105 and ZT401 is based on their extensive cultivation in Zhejiang Province. The selection of rootstock cultivars is informed by our previous research and corroborated by findings from other studies. Prior to this research, the grafting combination “ZT105/SZ12” and “ZT401/SZ12” had been extensively utilized in practical production and demonstrated significant resilience under continuous cropping conditions. However, some consumers have claimed decline in the quality of certain melon fruits. We aim to identify the optimal grafting combination that significantly enhances resistance to melon fusarium wilt disease, increases yield, and ensures that quality and growth duration are not adversely affected
Comments 3: Missing information about environmental conditions in the field.
Response 3: The complementary information about environmental conditions were provided in L125-128.
Comments 4: “One fruit was kept for ZT105, while two fruits were kept for ZT401”. Why this difference?
Response 4: In Zhejiang Province, the conventional practice for cultivating high-quality melons typically involves allowing only one fruit per plant. However, this standard practice is unsuitable for the ZT401 variety, as the fruit size becomes excessively large, diminishing its appeal to local consumers. Consequently, melon growers retained two fruits for the ZT401 variety during the production process.
Comments 5: Table 3, data for fruit shape, no description of the measurement in M&M section.
Response 5: Agree. The data presented pertains to the fruit shape index, which is described in L164-165. The fruit shape index was calculated using the following formula: fruit shape index = fruit length / fruit diameter.
Comments 6: The Conclusions section must be shorter without references to other studies.
Response 6: Agree. The Conclusions section was shortened from L391-410
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsLine 38-39: Provide data related to yield loss in muskmelon by Fusarium wilt disease.
Line 57: Write name of melon-resistant cultivars having compatibility with muskmelon
Line 90-94: Can’t understand why literature about crop rotation is added as, from abstract, it has no role in research study
Line 90-107: The whole paragraph is a repetition of data already written in previous paragraphs.
Line 119: From what group these cultivars belong (cantaloupe, honeydew, galia melon, etc.), same with rootstock cultivars. It is better to provide details of rootstock and scion in table
Line 139: Which grafting technique is used?
Line 149-150: Why was one fruit in ZT105 and two in ZT401 kept? Any specific reason?
Line 179-180: Why were fruits stored for one day at 4 oC and data were taken? Why data on same harvesting date was not taken
There is no detail about experiment design, factors to be studied, or the type of ANOVA applied to analyze results
231-233: From the results, it was perceived that mature fruit abscission is a varietal trait, and this trait is also transferred in grafted scion. Add discussion related to this aspect.
364-366: If retention of only 1-2 fruits/plant is considered as a criteria for quality, then how is yield measured as yield is linked with production of the number of fruits/plant? Explain it to avoid confusion.
Add pictures (if available) about fruit production in grafted and control plants
Conclusion is too long. Summarise it.
Author Response
Thanks very much for taking your time to review this manuscript. We really appreciate all your generous comments and suggestions! Please find my itemized responses in below and my revisions in the re-submitted files.
Line 38-39: Provide data related to yield loss in muskmelon by Fusarium wilt disease.
Response 1: The data related to yield loss by Fusarium wilt disease was provided in L36-37
Line 57: Write name of melon-resistant cultivars having compatibility with muskmelon
Response 2: The name of melon-resistant cultivars was provided in L54-56
Line 90-94: Can’t understand why literature about crop rotation is added as, from abstract, it has no role in research study
Response 3: Agree.The whole paragraph was deleted.
Line 90-107: The whole paragraph is a repetition of data already written in previous paragraphs.
Response 4: Agree.The whole paragraph was deleted.
Line 119: From what group these cultivars belong (cantaloupe, honeydew, galia melon, etc.), same with rootstock cultivars. It is better to provide details of rootstock and scion in table
Response 5: Agree. It is a pity that we can’t provide this information. Since the classification of melon cultivars and defining the types of melon is quite complex. Even we have a good understanding of the characteristics of these cultivars and have documented these cultivars’ fruit photo, and we have consulted a lot of information and asked for advice from breeders and providers of these cultivars, we still cannot confirm which group these cultivars belong to.
Line 139: Which grafting technique is used?
Response 6: The hole-insertion grafting method is used. It was mentioned in L115.
Line 149-150: Why was one fruit in ZT105 and two in ZT401 kept? Any specific reason?
Response7: In Zhejiang Province, the conventional practice for cultivating high-quality melons typically involves allowing only one fruit per plant. However, this standard practice is unsuitable for the ZT401 cultivar, as the fruit size becomes excessively large, diminishing its appeal to local consumers. Consequently, melon growers retained two fruits for the ZT401 variety during the production process.
Line 179-180: Why were fruits stored for one day at 4℃ and data were taken? Why data on same harvesting date was not taken
Response8: The temperature of melon fruit can significantly influence the assessment of its flavor and quality. Moreover, all processes involved in evaluating the maturity of the fruit, harvesting, transporting, identifying commercial fruit, and quantifying yields are time-consuming. Furthermore, several other studies reported that melon fruits stored for one day at 4 °C were used for data collection. Data regarding the same harvesting date were not collected due to the complexities introduced by varying ripening durations associated with different grafting combinations.
There is no detail about experiment design, factors to be studied, or the type of ANOVA applied to analyze results
Response9: The experimental data were reanalyzed using SPSS. The relevant information was updated in L181-183. Furthermore, the results of the statistical analysis were consistent with those of the previous analysis.
231-233: From the results, it was perceived that mature fruit abscission is a varietal trait, and this trait is also transferred in grafted scion. Add discussion related to this aspect.
Response10: Based on our observations, melon fruits exhibiting a fragrant aroma are more susceptible to mature fruit abscission during cultivation. There may be a potential correlation between the two phenomena. We hypothesize that certain aromatic compounds present in the grafting stock may be transferred to the scion fruit; however, further research is necessary to validate this hypothesis. Discussion related to this aspect was added in L219-222
364-366: If retention of only 1-2 fruits/plant is considered as a criteria for quality, then how is yield measured as yield is linked with production of the number of fruits/plant? Explain it to avoid confusion.
Response11: In ZT105, one fruit was retained per plant, whereas in ZT401, two fruits were retained, reflecting the differences in production performance between the two cultivars. The evaluation of total fruit yield involves harvesting all fruits with commercial value and weighing them. Any fruits without commercial value due to withering disease, natural drop, or fruit cracking are all removed and not included in the total yield
Add pictures (if available) about fruit production in grafted and control plants
Response 12: On the day of harvesting, we took photos of both the whole fruit and the cross-section of grafted and control plants. However, the photos were of suboptimal quality due to the deteriorating lighting conditions during the photography session.
Conclusion is too long. Summarise it.
Response13: Agree. The Conclusions section was shortened from L391-410
Round 2
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsSatisfactory response by the authors.
Author Response
Thank you again for your positive comments and valuable suggestions to improve the quality of our manuscript.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI appreciate the efforts put in by the authors to address all my concerns. I feel the MS can now be accepted in its present form.
Good Luck!
Author Response
Thank you again for your positive comments and valuable suggestions to improve the quality of our manuscript.
