Methods of Plant Propagation

Sexually and Asexually propagating plants

Plant Propagation
- The art and science of multiplying plants by sexual or
asexual means.
Types of Plant Propagation
• Sexual Propagation
- starting plants from seeds
• Asexual Propagation
- starting plants by means other than seed
or other planting materials.
Sexual Propagation
 Sexual Propagation
 starting plants from seeds
 Germination rate
% that sprouts 75 of 100 = 75%.
 Rates are affected by temperature and moisture
 Rates vary depending on plant and quality (viability) of
seed
 Seed viability is the seed’s capability of growing or
developing
 Plant seeds based on size of seeds
Plantseeds no more than 1.5 times the
diameter of the seed
Largerseeds are planted deeper
Smaller seeds are planted shallow
 Beforeplanting in the outdoor
environment, reduce humidity and water
and make environment more like outside to
“harden off” plants.
Advantages of Sexual Propagation
1. Fast way to get many plants.
2. Easy to do.
3. Economical.

Disadvantages of Sexual Propagation

1. Some plants, especially hybrids, do not reproduce
true to parents.
2. Some plants are difficult to propagate from seeds.
Reasons for Asexual Propagation
 Plants if propagated by seeds would not resemble
the parents the parent which produced the seed.
 Certain valuable plants produce little or no seed
 Plants produce seed which germinate with
difficulty
 Preserve the genetic characteristics of a
particular plant
 To bypass the juvenile stage of plant growth when
the plants will not flower and bare fruit.
Asexual Propagation
 Asexual Reproduction –starting plants by means
other than seed
 Methods include:
▪ Cuttings
▪ Layering
▪ Division
▪ Separation
▪ Grafting
▪ Budding
▪ Tissue culture
Grafting
 Joining separate plant parts together so that
they form a union and grow together to
make one plant.
 Tools needed are a knife, tape, and wax
 Plantsmust be related to each other and
normally in the same genus or family
Grafting

 Scion is the piece of plant at the top of

the graft
 Water sprout stem, where the active meristem cells
are present.
 Rootstock is the piece of the plant at
the root or bottom of the graft.
 Native species is a good source of rootstock since it
is known to its resistance to common tree diseases
and vigor character.

Stock
 Types of Grafting
1. Cleft grafting
2. Saddle grafting
3. Splice grafting
4. Bark grafting
5. Whip/tongue grafting Cleft Grafting
- Rootstock showing vertical incision; Scion showing
a wedge cut base; scion inserted into the
rootstock. Cleft Grafting
Saddle Grafting
- The same manner as cleft grafting. The
only difference is that saddle grafting,
the longitudinal cutis made on the scion
while the wedge is made on the
rootstock.

Splice Grafting
- Splice (also called whip) grafting is the
simplest way to join a stock and scion.
It is best suited for herbaceous plants in
a protected location. The stock and
scion should be less than 1 inch in
diameter and of equal thickness.
- When the diameter of stock and scion
are not equal, the scion should be
placed to one side of the stock to
ensure cambial contact on at least one
side.
Whip-and-tongue grafting
- is one of the most common and useful grafts for woody plants. It is used for
top working and producing new plants, primarily deciduous trees. It is best
describe with a wavy cut or the interlock.
Bark Grafting
- Used primarily when the rootstock is much larger than the scion.
- Select rootstock about 1 meter above the ground. Cut two vertical
incisions as deep as the bark.
- Use budding tape or clean nails to secure in place the scion
attached to the rootstock.
BUDDING
Definition
 Is a form of grafting that makes use of a single bud as the
scion instead of a section of the stem bearing several buds.
This method of plant propagation has the advantage of
producing numerous clones from a single piece of stem or
twig, each node being a potential source of one-budded scion
(Lee, J. M.1994).

 Theophrastus, a philosopher, is known as the Father of

Horticulture which described budding/grafting in a curious way,
as if it was a variation on cutting propagation in which the scion
takes root in the stock.
Advantages
 Asexual reproduction or propagation-plants mature in shorter time.
 Budding is faster or quicker than grafting.
 Some plants do not produce viable seeds.
 New plants are same as parent plant.

Disadvantages
 Some require special equipment and skills, such as budding.
 Cuttings detach plant parts from water and nutrient source.
Budding
➢ Budding or BUD Grafting are horticultural
techniques used to join parts from two or
more plants so that they appear to grow as a
single plant.

➢ It is defined by season and type of tissue.

• T-budding
• Chip budding
• Patch budding
 A

Guidelines in Selection of Planting

Materials for Budding
A. The rootstock (top)material have fully-formed and mature.
B. The scion be in a condition of active growth such that the "bark is
slipping".
- This means that the vascular cambium is actively growing, and the bark can
be peeled easily from the stock piece with little damage.
B

The vascular cambium can regenerate the vascular connections between the
scion and rootstock resulting in a complete plant composed of more than one
genotype.
The vascular bundles (xylem and phloem) of the stock connect to the scion(bud) and
develop as a part of the original plant.
 A B C

T- Budding

D E F

T and inverted T methods of budding: A, B) removal of the bud, C) preparation of the rootstock
by giving an incision in the form of an inverted T to facilitate lifting of the bark, D) insertion of
the bud into the incision made on the rootstock, E) T method of budding, F) parafilm holding the
bud in place. Insets: Insertion of buds into the cuts made on the scion.
Chip Budding
Stocks and bud sticks should
be 0.25 to 1 inch in
diameter. Remove the chip
from the rootstock by
making two cuts. The first is
a downward cut at a 45°
angle, going about 0.25 inch
through the stem. The
second cut starts about 1
inch higher than the first,
going downward and inward
until it connects with the
first cut. Make similar cuts
on the budstick to remove
the scion, about 0.25 inch
below the bud and 0.5 inch
above the bud.
Patch Budding

These methods are

suitable for plants with
thick bark that renders T
budding an unsuitable
method.
The scion contains no
wood behind the bark
patch.
Procedure
1. Preparation of the rootstock. Rootstocks about the size of an ordinary pencil (0.8cm) and
up to 1.5 cm in diameter are commonly used but there are no hard rules.
2. Preparation of the bud-scion. This consists of a prominent axillary bud (a plant organ
which serves as growing point) on a section of bark, with or without a small piece of wood
attached. This piece of bark is often termed as either a bud patch, chip, or shield piece.
They are also referred to as single-bud scions.
 Budsticks, small stems or twigs having multiple number of nodes from which the bud-containing
barks are to be prepared, are obtained from well selected vigorous, disease-free mother plants
having desirable characteristics.
3. Insertion of the prepared bud-scion. The prepared patch, chip or shield piece is inserted
into the part of the stem of the rootstock to replace the piece of bark that is removed or
where cuts are made to allow union. Correct polarity should be observed, that is, the
patch of bark is oriented upward.
4. Tying or wrapping. The stem-bud union is tied or wrapped to hold the
components firmly together but generally leaving the growing point exposed.
If also wrapped, it must be opened about 15 days later or at the time when
the rootstock is cut back. For practical usage, a thin, transparent
polypropylene (PP) plastic bag can be cut into strips about 2-3 cm wide.
These plastic strips have to be elastic and do not easily break when stretched.
5. Cut back of the rootstock. The rootstock must be decapitated, preferably
with the use of a pruning shear, at the part of the stem immediately above
the union to eliminate apical dominance.
6. Care of clones. This involves activities that are normally performed to hasten
rapid growth of nursery plants and trees. It also
includes debudding and desuckering, the removal of offshoots that may
emerge from the stem below the union. These are done to ensure that the
propagated plants will exhibit only the characters of the mother plant.
Budded Seedlings
of Rubber Tree
Factors affecting the success of grafting or
budding
 Time of year: In general, spring to late summer is desirable for grafting or budding
outdoors. The environmental conditions are conducive for active growth of plants in these
seasons.
 Compatibility of stock and scion
 Temperature: Grafting is usually completed during the dormant season when temperatures
are cool. If temperatures become too warm soon after grafting, shoot buds may grow and
produce a leaf surface that depletes moisture reserves in the scion before a graft union is
formed.
 Age of plant parts: Budsticks should be 1 year or less; scions 1 to 2 years old, and
rootstocks 2 years or less.
 Scion orientation (polarity): For a graft union to be successful, the stock and scion should
be oriented the way they normally grow
 Care of grafted plants
 Soil moisture: For maximum cambial activity, the soil moisture supply must be ample.
 Contact of stock and scion