Grafting of fruits and vegetables is becoming a popular practice on a global scale. Grafted vegetables are created by attaching the top of one plant to the root system of another. When the tissues heal, they merge into a single plant with the best qualities of each individual plant. Manual grafting is labor intensive, so it is not surprising that grafting robots have been developed. The big question is whether a grafting robot is a good investment. To investigate this topic, it is important to understand the benefits of grafting, the drawbacks of manual grafting, and the benefits of automating the process.
By selecting an appropriate rootstock, grafting fruits and vegetables consistently delivers three benefits. The first benefit is disease resistance. This is the most important concern for residential and commercial growers and the driving force behind the popularity of grafting. When growers grow certain vegetables in the same fields or in a greenhouse every year, diseases can establish themselves in the soil. This lowers the yield at each subsequent harvest. Grafting has been shown to effectively combat a variety of diseases and fungal infections.
Another benefit of plant grafting is increased tolerance to environmental stress. The most common environmental stresses are salinity and extreme temperatures. Since grafting allows fruits and vegetables to withstand warmer and cooler temperatures, the growing season is extended and plants can be grown in areas where the climate previously did not allow it. The ultimate benefit is increased vigor and yield from each plant. Grafted plans consistently lead to higher yields and better quality fruits and vegetables over a longer period with less input.
The reason grafting was not widely adopted long ago was due to the drawbacks of manual grafting. The first drawback is that the top of one plant may not perfectly match the root system of another due to poor cutting. Another drawback is that physically touching cut baby plants transfers heat from the person to the plant. This can be detrimental to baby plants in particular due to the sensitivity of the cells. The third drawback is that manual grafting increases the risk of viral or bacterial infections in the plant. Finally, manual grafting is time- and labor-intensive, making it difficult to perform on a commercial scale.
To overcome the drawbacks of manual grafting, the grafting robot was developed. Grafting robots fully automate the fruit and vegetable grafting process. Some robots are semi-automated, while newer versions of fully automated grafting robots have also become available. Most semi-automated solutions can graft at a rate of 600 to 800 graphics per hour, but require a minimum of two workers. This makes the fully automated grafting robot more popular for large-scale grafting projects. Grafting robots have proven to be a good investment on almost any scale, promoting healthier fruit and vegetable plants and saving a significant amount of time and energy.
