Radar F1 Rootstock – for vigorous and resistant eggplant and tomato plants (10 seeds)
Description :
Radar F1 is a professional rootstock resulting from crosses with Solanum aethiopicum, particularly well-suited for grafting tomatoes and eggplants. Used by many growers, it stands out for its exceptional vigor, its resistance to soil-borne diseases, and its ability to prolong the cropping cycle.
Characteristics:
- Powerful root system: Develops a deep and branched root, ensuring continuous growth even under difficult conditions or in tired soils.
- High disease resistance: Effectively protects against Fusarium (3 races), Verticillium, and several soil pests, limiting losses and reducing soil fatigue.
- Generative behavior: Promotes flowering and fruit set, reduces internode length, and can improve fruit size and regularity.
- Easy to graft: Excellent germination and high compatibility with most tomato and eggplant varieties.
Usage Tips:
- Sowing: Sow the Radar F1 rootstock about 3 days after the scion to obtain similar stem diameters at the time of grafting.
- Storage: The pelleted seeds must be stored in the refrigerator and used within a year of purchase to guarantee optimal germination.
- Cultivation: Ideal for long-term crops or soils infected with root diseases.
Advantages of Radar F1:
- Improves productivity and crop quality.
- Offers remarkable vigor and better tolerance to stress (drought, heat, soil diseases).
- Extends the productive lifespan of plants.
- Suitable for both greenhouse and outdoor cultivation.
The Radar F1 rootstock is the ideal choice for gardeners and market gardeners looking to strengthen the health and longevity of their grafted plants while ensuring a generous and regular production.
Some examples of grafted plants
About F1 Hybrid Seeds
F1 hybrid seeds play an essential role in successful grafting, particularly when it comes to producing vigorous and homogeneous rootstocks. Here is why they are used and how to understand them.
1️⃣ The Heterosis Effect – Hybrid Vigor
F1 hybrids result from the controlled cross between two selected parent lines for their complementary qualities.
This cross generates a phenomenon called heterosis, or hybrid vigor, which results in:
- faster growth,
- increased resistance to diseases and stress,
- and more regular and sustained production.
In the context of grafting, this effect is particularly sought after to obtain robust rootstocks with a powerful root system and better tolerance to difficult conditions. This is why the majority of professional rootstocks, such as Radar F1, come from hybrid seeds.
2️⃣ F1 Hybrids are not sterile, but they do not reproduce true to type
Contrary to popular belief, hybrid seeds are not sterile: they do indeed produce seeds.
However, these seeds do not faithfully reproduce the characteristics of the mother plant.
Indeed, in the next generation (F2), the traits randomly reshuffle, resulting in non-uniform plants that are often less performing than the first generation.
👉 This is why it is not recommended to harvest the seeds of an F1 hybrid for replanting the following year, especially in the case of rootstocks, where vigor and resistance must be constant.
In summary, F1 hybrid seeds offer performance, uniformity, and reliability, three essential qualities for successful grafting of tomatoes, eggplants, or cucurbits.