Artificial Forms of Vegetative Propagation

Artificial vegetative propagation as the name suggests does not occur naturally. There are several ways in which man can interfere with plants so as to get a desired offspring. This type of propagation may be carried out in order to get healthier plants, desired traits, more rapid and efficient production rate of offspring or for general experimentation. Methods include:

Cuttings: this is simply where a stem is cut from a plant and replanted. Not all plants can reproduce in this manner. Examples include pineapple, plum and grapes.

Grafting: in this process, a part of a plant is attached to the base of another plant. The stock is the plant onto which a new plant will be attached. The new plant to be attached is known as the scion. This is mostly done with citrus plants but may be carried out on other types of plants. The most important thing is that the species of the plants involved are extremely similar in the relationship of their species.

Diagram showing how grafting and cuttings may be used as a means of propagation

Tissue culture: this is the growth of a new plant in a cultured medium containing all the substances necessary for growth. This is done in a sterile medium and often in a laboratory. A cell, tissue or organ may be used in propagation and is very advantageous in producing healthy clones of plants.