Although cabbage thoran is an irreplaceable item in Kerala’s cuisine and various cauliflower dishes are served in restaurants across the state, farmers have been reluctant to grow them.

“Most farmers here have the habit of cultivating vegetables from seeds only. This is due to the fear of a disease called bacterial wilt,” says Dr C Narayanan Kutty, a former professor at Kerala Agricultural University.

“The only solution was to graft a local variety of vegetable sapling with another that could resist the bacterial attack,” he adds.

The agriculturist was one of the first to experiment with vegetable grafting at his university. Drawing from his experience, he shares practical tips for commercially growing vegetables through grafting.

1) Collect good quality seeds that can withstand diseases and plant them. At the same time, plant the local varieties separately.

2) Cut both plants just above the cotyledons, leaving two leaves on the top.

3) Graft the plant within minutes of cutting to prevent the cut surfaces from drying out.

4) Place the grafted plants in grafting trays, ideally with approximately 100 holes each.

5) Water the rootstock and scion 24 hours before grafting. Then immediately after grafting, water them gently.

6) Keep the grafted plants in a room where the temperature is maintained between 26°C and 29°C.

7) Do not disturb them for two days. Water them gently on the third day and fifth day with less than an hour of exposure to the outdoor temperature.

8) If the sapling wilts within two days, the grafting has failed.

9) While you can replant on the seventh day, waiting a few more days until the sapling has fully healed is recommended.

10) Occasionally prune the plants to promote healthy growth. Grafted plants grow faster and yield better results.

Dr Kutty shares that if done efficiently, an average of 1,000 plants can be grafted in a single day. Priced at Rs 4 each, the grafted plants can generate a daily income of  Rs 4,000.