Procedure for Grafting Cultivated Eggplant Varieties onto Wild Eggplant Species to Confer Resistance Against Ralstonia solanacearum.

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a major constraint in eggplant production. Grafting susceptible cultivated varieties onto resistant wild eggplant rootstocks enables cultivation under pathogen-infected conditions. Here, we describe a procedure for grafting susceptible cultivated eggplant varieties onto resistant wild eggplant species using wedge grafting to confer resistance against Ralstonia solanacearum. The method involves seedling production, grafting at the 2-3 leaf stage, and postgrafting care, resulting in high graft survival rates. In addition to the wedge grafting procedure, confirmation of pathogen identity, determination of inoculum concentration, and pathogen inoculation for resistance assessment are also described. This method is particularly useful for providing sufficient time to study plant-pathogen interactions, which is otherwise difficult due to the severity of the disease and rapid death of plants.