SEXUAL PROPAGATION

Flowers are the reproductive part of the plant

In the flower stamen is the male reproductive part while carpel is the female reproductive part.

Some flowers contain both male and female reproductive parts. Such flowers are called
bisexual flowers. For example, pea, china rose, etc.

On the other hand, some flower possess, either the male or the female reproductive parts. Such
flowers are called unisexual flowers. For example, corn, cucumber, etc.

Now let us know about the different part that makes the stamen and the carpel.

A stamen is made up of two main part, anther and filament. The anther produces pollen grains,
it is a pollen grain that contains the male gametes

A carpel on the other hand, is made up of three parts the terminal part is called the stigma the
middle elongated part is the style and the swollen bottom part is the ovary. Inside the ovary
ovules are present it is the ovule that has the female gamete called the egg cell.

For sexual reproduction to take place a male gamete is to be fused with the female gamete
thereby forming a zygote.

Now for that, the male gametes have to reach the female gametes.

For this first a pollen grain carrying the male gametes is transferred from the stamen of a flower
to stigma of the same or the other flower such transfer of pollen grain is known as pollination.

If the pollen grain of the flower lands on the stigma of the same flower it is called self-pollination
but if the pollen grain of a flower lands on the stigma of another flower of the same or another
plant of the same type it is called cross-pollination.

Pollination occurs with help of different agents like winds, water or animals. By the help of these
agents the pollen grains are being scattered, as the wind blows, it carries pollen grains
throughout the environment, and thus new plants are created. While in animals like insects--
mostly bees take these pollen grains from one plant and transfer it to another.

Once a pollen grain reaches the stigma of a suitable flower a tube grows form the pollen grain,
this tube travels through the style and reaches the ovary,

The male gametes from the pollen travels in this tube and reaches to the female gamete
present in the ovule of the ovary.

After that, the male and female gamete fused together to form a zygote this process of fusion of
male and female gametes is called fertilization.

The zygote formed after the fertilization then divides several times to form an embryo inside the
ovule, the ovule develops a though coat and changes to seed.

The ovary on the other hand, ripens and forms a fruit around the seed at this time the other
parts of the flower like the sepals and petals fall off.
So a seed present inside of fruit contains an embryo which is actually a baby plant each time a
seed is planted in soil and provided appropriate conditions it grows into a seedling which then
became a flower/plant again.
ASEXUAL PROPAGATION

You may have seen a plant in a friend's garden that you have admired and would like to grow
yourself. You could buy the plant at a garden center or you could propagate it yourself.
Propagation is when you produce new plants. But what if I’ll just buy seeds and plant it? Well,
new plants may take a long time to reach maturity (adulthood) when grown from seed.

Also, if you use seeds (sexual propagation) to propagate the plant, there is a chance the plants
will not be exactly the same as the parent plant. The offspring will not breed true.

To make sure your plant will have the same flowers and growth habit you could take a piece of
the plant. Taking a piece of a parent plant to make a new plant is called asexual propagation.
Asexual propagation includes methods such as taking leaf, root or stem cuttings as well as
dividing plants into pieces.

Steps in Air Layering

1. Choose a one to two–year–old stem that is straight, healthy and vigorous. Trim off side
shoots and leaves from a 30cm (1ft) section.

2. Scrape off the bark of the stem. The length of the scrape should at least be equal to the
diameter of the branch/ stem.

3. Rooting hormone can be applied on the surface of the wound.

4. Wrap the wound with a moist sphagnum moss to a thickness of 7.5-10cm or soil and cover it
with black plastic, sealing it with weather-proof adhesive tape.

5. Leave the wrapping in place for up to a year. Check it occasionally for signs of rooting.

Steps in Budding

1. Preparing the rootstock. Potted seedlings are widely used as rootstocks. However, they
should be at least 0.8cm and up to 1.5cm in diameter. Established trees can also be used.

2. Preparing the bud–scion. This consists of a prominent axillary bud, this serves as the growing
point of the plant. This is also termed as a bud patch, chip, and shield piece or single–bud
scions.

3. Insertion of the prepared bud-scion into the rootstock. Cut the bark of the rootstock. Insert the
scion bud into the bark but make sure that the scion bud is oriented upward.

4. Tying or wrapping. Tie the stem–bud union using a plastic wrap leaving the growing point
exposed. The plastic wrap must be removed 15 days after or at the time that the wound has
healed. There are various ready-to-use wrapping materials. A specialized wrapping strip made
of rubber expands as the rootstock grows and naturally deteriorates after several weeks. But 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. With a use of a pruning shear or sharp knife cut the rootstock at the
part of the stem closely above the union to prevent apical dominance.

6. Care of clones. This involves activities performed to the rapid growth of budded plants. This
also includes the removal of offshoots that may emerge from the stem below the union. This is
done to ensure that the propagated plants will only exhibit the characteristics of the scion.

Stem Cuttings

Stem cuttings of some woody plants root better if taken in the fall or in the dormant season.

Tip Cuttings Remove a 2 to 6 inch piece of stem, including the terminal bud and make to cut just
below a node. Remove lower leaves that would touch or be below the medium. If necessary, dip
the stem in rooting hormone. Make a hole in the rooting medium and insert the plant cutting
deeply enough into the soil media to support itself.

Cedial cuttings (stem-section cuttings) Make the first cut just above a node, and the second cut
just below a node, 2 to 6 inches down the stem. Prepare and insert the cutting in the rooting
medium. Make sure that the nodes are in upward position.