Various strategies are being adopted to ensure sustainable fruit and vegetable production under the increasing population pressure and changing climatic conditions. Among these, grafting has emerged as an effective approach for improving crop performance without altering the genetic makeup of commercial cultivars. In this technique, a desirable scion is combined with a compatible rootstock possessing beneficial traits. When selected appropriately, such combinations can perform better than non-grafted plants, particularly under stress conditions. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most important vegetable crops worldwide due to its high economic and nutritional value. Grafting in tomato has been reported to enhance plant vigor, improve tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses, and increase yield, often in the range of 15–30% under adverse conditions. However, the success of grafting largely depends on physiological compatibility between rootstock and scion. This review focuses on the physiological basis of rootstock–scion interactions in tomato, with an emphasis on water relations, nutrient uptake, and stress tolerance mechanisms. It also discusses current research gaps and highlights the need for a better understanding of the underlying physiological processes to improve the effectiveness of grafting in tomato production.
Singh et al. (Tue,) studied this question.