Study on the Dynamic Accumulation of Soluble Sugars in the Apple Cleft Grafting Healing Process

doi:10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-1062

Acta Horticulturae Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (6): 1669-1683.doi: 10.16420/j.issn.0513-353x.2024-1062

• Cultivation · Physiology & Biochemistry • Previous Articles Next Articles

Study on the Dynamic Accumulation of Soluble Sugars in the Apple Cleft Grafting Healing Process

MAO Chong, YUAN Ziwen, HUANG Wenting, XIANG Ling, ZHANG Xiao, CHEN Qilu, YU Zhihan, WANG Shengyuan^*(), LI Tianzhong^*()

College of Horticulture， China Agricultural University， Beijing 100193， China

Received:2025-11-03 Revised:2026-04-08 Online:2026-06-24 Published:2026-06-24
Contact: WANG Shengyuan, LI Tianzhong

Abstract

Abstract:

The self-grafted seedlings of Malus hupehensis were used as test materials to analyze the changes and dynamic distribution of soluble sugar accumulation in the process of grafting healing. The key period of sugar affecting grafting healing and the key soluble sugar components affecting grafting healing were analyzed，and the regulation of exogenous application of soluble sugar on grafting healing was explored. The results showed that the survival rate of grafting was significantly positively correlated with the leaf area of scion and the soluble sugar accumulation of grafting under the condition of 100% environmental humidity，while the survival rate of grafting was only significantly positively correlated with the ratio of soluble sugar accumulation / transpiration rate under the condition of indoor environment （30% environmental humidity）. When the leaf area of scion was 2-4 cm²，the ratio of soluble sugar accumulation/transpiration rate reached the peak，and the survival rate of grafting was the highest（95%）. According to the development status and differentiation characteristics of callus after grafting，the healing process of grafting was divided into five healing periods：isolation layer period，callus cell occurrence period，callus fusion period，vascular bundle differentiation period and construction period of vascular system. At the initial stage of callus fusion stage（7 days after grafting），soluble sugars were enriched in the new callus of the grafting joint，and the relative change rate of total sugar content and six sugar components content fluctuated significantly at different stages of the healing joint. Based on the contents of sugar components in stems，six kinds of sugar aqueous solutions were prepared to apply exogenous treatment to wounds and leaves during grafting. It was found that 1% raffinose aqueous solution treatment of wounds，1% sucrose aqueous solution treatment of wounds and 1% sucrose aqueous solution treatment of leaves all contributed significantly to the establishment of vascular bundles（VIP value > 1）. All the three aforementioned treatment methods could significantly accelerate the development of callus，thereby facilitating the graft healing process.

Key words: Malus hupehensis, grafting healing, soluble sugar, exogenous spraying, raffinose, sucrose

MAO Chong, YUAN Ziwen, HUANG Wenting, XIANG Ling, ZHANG Xiao, CHEN Qilu, YU Zhihan, WANG Shengyuan, LI Tianzhong. Study on the Dynamic Accumulation of Soluble Sugars in the Apple Cleft Grafting Healing Process[J]. Acta Horticulturae Sinica, 2026, 53(6): 1669-1683.

Figures/Tables 9

Fig. 1 Grouping and grafting examples with different leaf area scions

Fig. 2 The effect of sugar solution on grafting healing verification experiment schematic diagram

Fig. 3 Grafting survival rate，stem soluble sugar accumulation with different leaf areas and the correlation between the two under saturated air humidity（100%）

Fig. 4 Grafting survival rate，stem soluble sugar accumulation with different leaf areas and the correlation between the two under air humidity（30%）

Fig. 5 Phenotypic and anatomical observation of healing site in five characteristic periods of grafting healing process The white box arrow indicates the feature structure；The purple part indicates the dispersed area of callus cells；The red part indicated the characteristic structure of callus development. S：Scion；R：Rootstock；LLC：Isolated layer cells；NCC：New callus cells；CCM：Callus cell mass；SVE：Small vessel element；NPC：New phloem cells；NEC：New epidermal cells；CC：Cambial cells；TS：Tubular structure

Fig. 6 Distribution and change rate of soluble sugar at grafting interface in different healing periods The color depth in the same sample indicates the relative accumulation of carbohydrates；the black frame indicated the sugar accumulation in the site of callus. Different lowercase letters represent significant differcences（P < 0.05）. The same below

Fig. 7 Evaluation of the change rate of the six contents in the five healing periods at the grafting interface Used the stem segment sample taken before self-grafting as a blank control. Positive values indicate increases，while negative values indicate decreases

Fig. 8 The xylem connectivity rate measurement example（A）at the grafting interface and the xylem connectivity rate（B）of six different sugar treatments S：Scion；R：Rootstock

Fig. 9 The influence of the more influential sugar treatment methods on the graft at 7 DAG The white frame indicates the distribution site of callus. S：Scion；R：Rootstock

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Study on the Dynamic Accumulation of Soluble Sugars in the Apple Cleft Grafting Healing Process

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