Student Projects/Artificial propagation

                                                                                                                 ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION

Vegetative propagation is of 2 types

1.Natural propagation

2.Artificial propagation

ARTIFICIAL PROPAGATION :

It is a method in which new plants can be grown in suitable environment .It consists of 3 important methods namely

·     Cutting

·     Layering

·     Grafting

CUTTING :

Some plants can grow individually when a piece of parent plant having a bud is cut of from the existing plant.

A piece of root ,stem of the parent plant is placed  in a suitable medium such as moist soil .If the provided conditions are suitable then the plant piece will begin to grow as a new individual plant.

Examples : Rose, hibiscus

Cutting of plants is an ancient form of Cloning. Cutting type of propagation have many advantages mainly the produced offspring’s are practically the clones of the parent plant. The genetic information will pass to the offspring from generation to generation.

LAYERING :

It is defined as the plant propagation in which a portion of an  above ground stem grows with roots while still attached to the parent plant and detaches as an independent plant.

A branch of the plant with at least one node is bent towards the ground and part of it is covered with moist soil leaving the tip of the branch exposed above the ground .New roots will be developed  from the part of the plant buried in the soil. Then the newly formed plant can be detached from the old plant or parent plant.

Layering is of many types :

·     Simple layering

·     Compound layering

·     Serpentine layering

·     Air layering

·     Mound layering or stooling

·     Trench layering

·     Drop layering

·     Tip layering

Examples : Nerium, climbing roses, wax myrtle

GRAFTING :

It is the process in which a portion of one plant (bud, scion) is placed or fixed in to the another plant (stem, root )in such a way that a union will be formed.

In simpler words two plants are joined together in such a way that two stems join and grow as a single plant.

The plant which is attached to the soil called as stock

The cut stem of another plant called as Scion

Both of the stock and scion are tied with the help of a thread and covered with a polythene cover.

ADVANTAGES :

·    Resistance to pests and soil diseases

·    Will have genetic improvement

·    Increases productivity of the plant

Examples : rose, mango etc.