*3.2. Yield*

Rootstock significantly influenced total yield, marketable yield and number of marketable fruits (Table 2).


**Table 2.** Rootstock effects on yield traits of 'Scarlatti' F1 scion.

Values within a column and a year followed by the same letter are not significantly different at *p* ≤ 0.05 (Tukey HSD Test). The significance is designated by asterisks as follows: \*, statistically significant differences at *p*-value below 0.05; \*\*, statistically significant differences at *p*-value below 0.01; \*\*\*, statistically significant differences at *p*-value below 0.001; NS = not significant.

Total yield ranged between 2.7 kg plant−<sup>1</sup> for 'Scarlatti' grafted on *S. aethiopicum* gr. *gilo* (accession 1) and 3.9 kg plant−<sup>1</sup> for those grafted onto *S. melongena* (self-grafted plants) (Table 2). No significant differences were found in the total yield among 'Scarlatti' and *S. torvum* rootstocks, which had total yield that ranged from 3.8 kg plant−<sup>1</sup> (*S. torvum*) to 3.9 kg plant−<sup>1</sup> ('Scarlatti' self-grafted). *S. aethiopicum*

gr. *gilo* (accessions 1 and 2) had a significantly lower total yield (2.7 and 3.1 kg plant<sup>−</sup>1, respectively) than the other rootstocks (Table 2). However, plants grafted onto *S. melongena* × *S. aethiopicum* gr. *gilo* rootstock and 'Scarlatti' ungrafted plants did not significantly differ in total yield compared to the plants grafted onto 'Scarlatti' and *S. torvum* rootstocks. Data collected on marketable yield supported the trend established for total yield (Table 2). Plants with *S. aethiopicum* gr. *gilo* (accession 1) as rootstock had a significantly lower fruit number in comparison to those grafted onto 'Scarlatti', *S. torvum*, and *S. melongena* × *S. aethiopicum* gr. *gilo* hybrid, and not different from those grafted onto *S. aethiopicum* gr. *gilo* (accession 2) (Table 2). In addition, no differences were found among plants grafted onto 'Scarlatti', *S. torvum*, *S. melongena* × *S. aethiopicum* gr. *gilo* hybrid, and *S. aethiopicum* gr. *gilo* (accession 2) for number of marketable fruits plant−<sup>1</sup> which produced a significantly higher number of fruits than accession 1 of *S. aethiopicum* gr. *gilo*. No significant differences among treatments were found for the average fruit weight (Table 2).
