propagation of plants

(botany) The deliberate, directed reproduction of plants using seeds or spores (sexual propagation), or using vegetative cells, tissues, or organs (asexual reproduction).

The deliberate, directed reproduction of plants using plant cells, tissues, or organs. Asexual propagation, also called vegetative propagation, is accomplished by taking cuttings, by grafting or budding, by layering, by division of plants, or by separation of specialized structures such as tubers, rhizomes, or bulbs. This method of propagation is used in agriculture, in scientific research, and in professional and recreational gardening. It has a number of advantages over seed propagation: it retains the genetic constitution of the plant type almost completely; it is faster than seed propagation; it may allow elimination of the nonfruiting, juvenile phase of the plant's life; it preserves unique, especially productive, or esthetically desirable plant forms; and it allows plants with roots well adapted for growth on poor soils to be combined with tops that produce superior fruits, nuts, or other products. See also Breeding (plant); Reproduction (plant).

Tissue cultures and protoplast cultures are among the techniques that have been investigated for plant propagation; the success of a specific technique depends on a number of factors. Practical applications of such methods include the clonal propagation of desirable phenotypes and the commercial production of virus-free plants.

Plant tissue cultures are initiated by excising tissue containing nucleated cells and placing it on an enriched sterile culture medium. The response of a plant tissue to a culture medium depends on a number of factors: plant species, source of tissue, chronological age and physiological state of the tissue, ingredients of the culture medium, and physical culturing conditions, such as temperature, photoperiod, and aeration.

Though technically more demanding, successful culture of plant protoplasts involves the same basic principles as plant tissue culture. Empirical methods are used to determine detailed techniques for individual species; such factors as plant species, tissue source, age, culture medium, and physical culture conditions have to be considered. See also Plant cell; Tissue culture.

Example of an Automated Propagation System^[1]

Plant propagation is the process of artificially or naturally distributing plants.

Contents 1 Sexual propagation (seed) 2 Asexual propagation 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

Sexual propagation (seed)

Further information: germination

Tropical fruit such as avocado also benefit from special seed treatments (specificly invented for that particular tropical fruit)

Seeds and spores can be used for reproduction (through eg sowing). Seeds are typically produced from sexual reproduction within a species, since because genetic recombination has occurred plants grown from seed may have different characteristics to its parents. Some species produce seed that require special conditions to germinate, such as cold treatment. The seed of many Australian plants and plants from southern Africa and the American west require smoke or fire to germinate. Some plant species, including many trees do not produce seed until they reach maturity, which may take many years. Seed can be difficult to acquire and some plants do not produce seed at all.

Asexual propagation

Softwood stemcuttings rooting in a controlled environment

Plants have a number of mechanisms for asexual or vegetative reproduction. Some of these have been taken advantage of by horticulturists and gardeners to multiply or clone plants rapidly. People also use methods that plants do not use, such as tissue culture and grafting. Plants are produced using material from a single parent and as such there is no exchange of genetic material, therefore vegetative propagation methods almost always produce plants that are identical to the parent. Vegetative reproduction uses vegetative plants parts or roots, stems and leaves. Therefore, propagation via asexual seeds or apomixis is asexual reproduction but not vegetative propagation.

Techniques for vegetative propagation include:

• Air or ground layering
• Division
• Grafting and bud grafting, widely used in fruit tree propagation
• Micropropagation
• Stolons or runners
• Storage organs such as bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes
• Striking or cuttings
• Twin-scaling

See also

• Adventitious
• Clonal colony
• Fruit tree propagation
• Recalcitrant seed

References

1. ^ Winterborne J, 2005. Hydroponics - Indoor Horticulture [1]

External links

• How to propagate plants with stem cuttings Jessica Damiano
• Ohio State University Extension- Plant propagation
• Grow'Em Plant Propagation Database

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