Vegetative Reproduction

Artificial vegetative propagation

• This is the plant propagation by using the stem, roots and leaves
of plants.
• It enables the rapid production of new plants, preserving all
desirable parental traits.
• It is now extensively employed in agriculture and horticulture for
propagating crop plants, fruit plants, flowering plants, garden
plants, ornamental plants, etc.
• The commonest methods of artificial vegetative propagation
include cutting, layering, grafting, etc.
Cutting
• Cutting is the vegetative propagation which involves the raising of new
plants from the cuttings of the vegetative parts of a parent plant.
• It is the most commonly used asexual propagation method in
horticultural industry.
• Cuttings are the pieces of the vegetative material obtained from plant
organs, such as stem, leaf, or root.
• They are nursed under appropriate conditions to develop to full-fledged
plants.
• Cuttings are of various types, such as stem cuttings, leaf cut tings and
root cuttings.
Stem-tip cuttings
• The tip of the stem is cut out and used to produce a new plant.
• The cutting must be about 3 inches long and must have leaves.
• The cut may be made at the node or internode of the stem.
• Stem-tip cuttings produce new plants much more rapidly than
stem-section cuttings.
• Examples: Duranta, Phyllanthus
Stem-section cuttings
• Stem-section cutting is another method of vegetative propagation
whereby pieces of stem are used for planting.
• Each piece must contain at least one bud.
• Examples: Rose, Hibiscus, tapioca
 Root cuttings
• Root cuttings are taken in the dormant season.
• Herbaceous plants can be lifted carefully for this purpose.
• wash off most of the soil from the roots.
• Make the cut perfectly with a sharp knife.
• Remove the whiskery side roots with the knife.
• The trimmed roots are cut into 2 inches long sections.
• Tightly fill a pot with a mixture of compost and sand.
• Water the compost and leave it to drain before inserting the cuttings.
Leaf cuttings
• Leaf cuttings are herbaceous cuttings, consisting of either an entire
leaf or a piece of it.
• Begonia, Sansiveria and African violet are propagated by this method.
• The leaf stalk may be dipped in a rooting hormone mixture before
inserting it into the rooting medium in a pot.
Layering
• Layering is the production of a new plant by inducing root initiation
from a branch which is still attached to the parent plant.
• The intact branch that produces roots is called layer.
• The rooted branch is later on severed from the parent plant and
planted as an independent one.
• Rooting can be promoted by girdling, incision, and bending of the
stem
• Layering is advantageous in that the daughter plant will get water,
nutrients, hormones, etc. from the mother plant
 Air layering
• It is also called gootee
• Aerial branch is girdled (a ring of bark is removed) to promote rooting.
• The girdled part is then wrapped with a moist rooting medium and
covered with polythene sheet.
• When a good number of roots are formed above the girdle, the branch is
cut off and planted
• Air layering is commonly employed for the propagation of woody plants
• Mango tree, sapota, etc.
1. Simple layering
simplest and the commonest method
of layering.
It is very easy in those species whose
shoots are flexible.
Its part that touches the ground is
girdled or nicked and covered with
moist soil.
• Compound layering or serpentine layering
The layering in which a long lower branch is bent to the ground
notched at different points
then the notched points touching the ground are covered with soil
Roots develop from the covered nodes
When the roots are fully formed, each part is cut away and planted
Trench layering or continuous layering
• The layering in which a branch is bent to the ground, placed straight
in a shallow trench, and then covered with soil
• Roots and shoots sprout from all its nodes
• Each plantlet is then cut away, planted elsewhere, and allowed to
grow independently.
• Compound layering and trench layering are usually done with plants
having long and flexible branches
Mound layering (stool layering)

• This is a type of layering in which the parent plant is first pruned

• then the basal portion of its stem is covered with soil.
• This enables easy root formation in the newly developing shoots.
• The rooted shoots are then severed and planted elsewhere
Terminologies
• Stock or root stock: The portion of a recipient plant into which a bud
or a portion of a branch from a donor plant is attached. It provides
the past with root system Mostly it is raised from seeds, although root
stocks may be propagated by cutting
• Scion: The branch or bud of a desired donor plant, which is grafted or
budded on the layering stock. It forms the upper portion of the graft
and produces the same kind of plant
Budding
• A major difference between budding and grafting is that budding uses
a single bud as the scion, whereas grafting uses pieces of plant
material consisting of several buds.
• Budding is easier to accomplish than grafting
• T-budding and patch-budding are the common types of budding)
T-budding (shield budding)
• In this method, a bud, together with a portion of the cambium layer,
is cut away from a desired plant.
• This looks like a shield, and so the process is often called shield
budding.
• Then, a T-shaped cut is made in the bark of the stock.
• So the technique is also called T-budding
• The shield-like scion is fixed into this cut in such a way that the
cambial layers of scion and stock are in close contact with each other.
T-budding (shield budding)
• The cut is then sealed with grafting wax and bandaged to exclude air
and to prevent drying and fungal Intrusion.
• Prolific callus formation occurs around the graft area.
• The scion grows on the stock as a new plant.
• If buds are formed from the stock, they should be removed.
• Bud grafting is mainly used for the propagation of woody plants, such
as rubber, rose, mango, citrus, apple, etc.
Patch (chip) budding
• Plants with thick bark are difficult to bud by the T-method.
• So, they are patch bedded in this method, a chip of the bark is
removed from the intermodal region of the root stock.
• It is then replaced by another chip from the bud stock having the
same size and shape and containing a bud.
• The cambium layer of the bud piece must coincide with that of the
rootstock.
Patch (chip) budding
• The chip bud is wrapped to seal the cut edges and to hold the bud piece
tightly into the rootstock.
• Rootstock is cut above the developed bud, once the firm union has been
established.
 Grafting
• Grafting is an asexual propagation method in which parts of two different plants
are joined together
• a stem cutting from a donor plant is incorporated with a rooted recipient plant.
• The donor and the recipient usually belong to related species or varieties.
• The stem cutting from the donor plant is called scion or graft.
• The rooted recipient plant to which the scion is attached is called root stock.
• The scion must always be superior to the stock in desirable traits or qualities, and
the stock must be highly resistant to pests, parasites and diseases
• The scion grows on the stock and becomes the shoot system of the new plant, and
the stock forms its root system.
• The new plant, formed by the union of scion and stock through grafting, is called
composite plant.
• In grafting, the cambia of scion and stock are brought into close
contact with each other.
• This establishes a vascular continuity between scion and stock.
• After wards, scion grows further retaining its desirable features.
• During this, it supplies the stock organic food which it has made by
photosynthesis.
• In return, the stock supplies the scion water and nutrients which it
has absorbed from soil.
• Grafting is successful if the healing is complete and the vascular
transport be tween scion and stock is continuous.
Significance of grafting
1. Enables the propagation of those plants whose cuttings will not
produces roots.
2. Provides disese-resistance to suceptible but desirable cultivars.
3. Rapidly increases the number of desirable cultivars.
4. Reduces the dependence on seed propagation.
Spice Grafting
• It is a method of grafting by cutting the ends of the scion and stock
completely across and obliquely
• the sections are of the same shape, then lapping the ends so that the
one cut surface exactly fits the other
• The splice graft is similar to the whip-and-tongue graft except the
second tongue cut is not made.
• A simple slanting cut of the same length is made in both the scion and
rootstock.
• It is a common graft used for vegetable crops that use robotic grafting of
a scion on a disease resistant rootstock.
Tongue grafting
• stock and scion have almost the same diameter.
• a tongue is provided on the cut surface of both the stock and scion to
provide rigidity to the graft union.
• scion is first decapitated by a slanting cut, a few centimetres above ground
• Buds, if any, are removed from it.
• for producing the tongue, a downward cut is made on the cut end of the
stock, and an upward cut on the cut end of the scion.
• The scion is then tightly inter locked with the stock.
• The graft joint is sealed with grafting wax and tied firmly in the same way
as in splice approach grafting.
• Scion starts growing on the stock and its buds develop to branches
Advantages of vegetative propagation
• It is easiest method of reproduction in plants.
• same genotype and same characters of the parental plant can be preserved.
• It is a quick method of multiplication.
• It is a very helpful method in sexually weak or have long dormant period of
seeds.
• Vegetative reproduction helps in cloning and micro propagation of plants.
• Methods like grafting helps in getting economically important plants, which
have useful character of two different individuals.
• In seedless plants such as Banana, sugarcane, seedless grapes etc., it is
predominant method of reproduction.
Disadvantages of Vegetative Propagation
• Good qualities cannot be introduced nor bad characters eliminated in
plants multiplied through vegetative propagation.
• Disease contacted by a parent spreads to all the daughter plants.
• Vegetative organs useful for propagation cannot be preserved for
long.
• Vegetative propagates are not so efficiently protected as the seeds
are. They get easily decayed and are prone to various viral, fungal and
bacterial diseases
• Variability is absent. So, adaptability to changed environment
decreases.
 Micropropagation
• Multiplication of genetically identical copies of a cultivar by asexual
reproduction is called clonal propagation.
• In nature, clonal propagation occurs by apomixis (seed development
without meiosis and fertilization) and/or vegetative propagation
(regeneration of new plants from vegetative parts).
• Tissue culture has become popular method for vegetative propagation of
plants.
• Aseptic method of clonal propagation is called as Micropropagation and it
offer the advantage of large number of true-to-type plantlets can be
produced with relatively short time and space from a single individual.
• It is the fact that micropropagation is the only commercially viable method
of clonal propagation of most of the horticultural crops. E.g. Orchids.
• Seed Dormancy:
• Seed dormancy or rest is the innate inhibition of germination of a viable seed even
placed in most favourable environment for germination. Bewlay and Black (1994)
have divided seed dormancy into two categories, seed coat based and embryo based.
Germination inhibitors occur in both.
• Reasons of Seed Dormancy:
• 1. Immaturity of Embryo:
• Embryo is immature at the time of seed shedding. The seed will remain dormant till
the embryo becomes mature, e.g., Anemone nemorosa, Ranunculus ficaria.
• 2. After-Ripening:
• The seeds require a period of dry storage for developing the ability to germinate,
e.g., Wheat, Oat, Barley.
• 3. Impermeable Seed Coat:
• The seed coat is impermeable to water and gases, e.g., Apple, Chenopodium.
• 4. Hard Seed Coat:
• The seed coat is mechanically resistant and does not allow the embryo to grow, e.g.,
Amaranthus, Lepidium.
• 5. Germination Inhibitors:
• They occur in the seed coats and cotyledons of the embryos. The important
germination inhibitors causing seed dormancy are abscisic acid, phenolic acid, ferulic
acid, etc
• Artificial Breaking of Seed Dormancy:
• 1. Scarification:
• Hard, impermeable seed coat is weakened or ruptured by filing, chip
ping, hot water and chemicals.
• 2. Stratification:
• Seeds are moistened and exposed to oxygen for variable period at low
or high temperature.
• 3. Counteracting Inhibitors:
• Inhibitors are destroyed by dipping seeds in KNO3, thiourea, ethylene
chlorohydrin and gibberellin.
• Q. What is seed?
• Ans. In broad sense, any plant part which is used for commercial multiplication of a crop is called seed. In
strict sense, the product of fertilized ovule which consists of embryo, seed coat and cotyledon(s) is known as
seed.
• What is genetic purity?
• Ans. It refers to absence of seeds of other variety of the same crop as well as of other crops. The genetic
purity is determined by grow out test. It differs from crop to crop. Generally, more contamination is allowed
in cross pollinated species and hybrids than in self-pollinated species.
• Q. . What is physical purity?
• Ans. The freedom from inert matter and defective seeds is known as physical purity. It varies from 95% to
98% in different crops.
• Q. What is seed testing?
• Ans. Process of evaluation of seed in terms of purity and germination is called seed testing.
• Q. What is seed viability test?
• Ans. The test which is conducted in the laboratory for determining the percentage of living seeds is called
seed viability test.
• Q. What is seed viability?
• Ans. The living state of seeds is called seed viability.
• Q. What is nucleus seed?
• Ans. Initial seed of an improved variety which is always limited in quantity and produced by the originating
plant breeder is called nucleus seed.
• Main features of nucleus seed are given below:
• (i) It is produced at the research farms under the direct supervision of originating plant breeder.
• (ii) It is genetically and physically cent per cent pure.
• (iii) Certification is not required for nucleus seed.
• (iv) It is used for production of breeder seed.
• Q. What is breeder seed?
• Ans. Progeny of nucleus seed or breeder seed produced under strict supervision of original plant breeder is
known as breeder seed.
• Main features of breeder seed are given below:
• (i) It is produced in isolation from other varieties.
• (ii) It is genetically and physically pure,
• (iii) Certification for breeder seed is not required. The breeder seed plot is inspected by the monitoring team
consisting of original/sponsored breeder and one representative each from National Seeds Corporation and
State Seed Certification Agency.
• (iv) It is used for production of foundation seeds.
• Q. What is foundation seed?
• Ans. Progeny of breeder seed produced by National Seeds Corporation/State Seeds
Corporation is called foundation seed.
• Main features of foundation seed are given below:
• (i) It is produced by NSC/SSC under the supervision of trained staff.
• (ii) It is genetically pure and has physical purity of 100%.
• (iii) Certification is done by State Seed Certification Agency.
• (iv) It is used for the production of certified seed.
• Q. What is registered seed?
• Ans. It is the progeny of either foundation seed or registered seed. In India,
this category of seed is omitted and certified seed is produced directly from
the foundation seed.
• Main features of registered seed are given below:
• (i) It is produced at the farms of progressive farmers under the supervision
of National Seeds Corporation.
• (ii) It is genetically pure,
• (iii) It has physical purity of 98%.
• (iv) Certification is done by State Seed Certification Agency.
• (v) It is used for production of certified seeds.
• Q.. What is certified seed?
• Ans. It is the progeny of either foundation or registered or certified seed.
• Its main features are as follows:
• (i) It is produced on the fields of progressive farmers under the strict supervision of State
Seed Certification Agency.
• (ii) It is genetically pure.
• (iii) It has physical purity of 98%.
• (iv) Certification is done by State Seed Certification Agency.
• Q. . What is seed certification?
• Ans. A legal system which ensures production of high quality seed in terms of genetic purity
and germination is called seed certification.
• The basic requirements of seed certification are given below:
• (i) An improved variety
• (ii) Genetic purity
• (iii) Physical purity
• (iv) High germination.
• Q. What is genetic purity?
• Ans. It refers to absence of seeds of other variety of the same crop as well as of other crops. The
genetic purity is determined by grow out test. It differs from crop to crop. Generally, more
contamination is allowed in cross pollinated species and hybrids than in self-pollinated species.
• Q. . What is physical purity?
• Ans. The freedom from inert matter and defective seeds is known as physical purity. It varies from
95% to 98% in different crops.
• Q. What is germination?
• Ans. Emergency of normal seedlings from the seeds under ideal conditions of light, temperature,
moisture, oxygen and nutrients is called germination.
• Q. What is seed testing?
• Ans. Process of evaluation of seed in terms of purity and germination is called seed testing.
• Q. What is seed viability test?
• Ans. The test which is conducted in the laboratory for determining the percentage of living seeds
is called seed viability test.
• Q. What is seed viability?
• Ans. The living state of seeds is called seed viability.
Stages of Seed production
Nucleus Seed

BREEDER
SEED
FOUNDATION
SEED
CERTIFIED
SEED

Farmers
field
 Nucleus or Basic Seed
Nucleus seed (or basic seed) is the original or
first seed material) of a variety available with the
producing breeder or any other recognized breeder
of the crop.
This seed has 100% genetic and physical purity
along with high standards of all other seed quality
parameters.
 BREEDER SEED
• Breeder seed is the progeny of the nucleus seed and is
the source for foundation seed.
• Its production is directly controlled by the originating
plant breeder who developed the variety, or any other
institution or qualified recognised by the breeder
authoritiy
 FOUNDATION SEED
• It is the progeny of breeder seed or
certified Foundation Seed itself.
 CERTIFIED SEED
• Certified seed is the seed, which is certified by a
Seed Certification Agency notified under section 8
of the Indian Seeds Act (1966) or by any other
foreign certification agency provided the
concerned agency is recognized by the
Government of India through notification in the
Official Gazette.
 CERTIFIED SEED
• Generally, it is known as the progeny of
foundation seed and its production is so
handled as to maintain specified genetic
identity and purity standards as
prescribed for the crop being certified.
 NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• NATIONAL SEED RESEARCH AND TRAINING CENTRE,

VARANASI (Responsible for Quality Seeds Availability, Testing &
Quality Control At National Level)
• STATE FARMS CORPORATION OF INDIA LTD. (SFCI),
(Responsible for Quality Seeds Availability by the seed production
programme on various states)
• NATIONAL SEEDS CORPORATION LIMITED
(Responsible for seed production of certified & foundation class)
 Importance of Seed Production
• Multiplication of superior varieties.
• Availability of superior varieties to masses
• Maintenance of genetic purity.
• Supply of high quality seeds with
excellent quality.
• Seeds have high germination status.
• Seeds have high vigour and viability status.
• Seeds have high physical purity.
• It maintains the excellent health status of
seed