Plant Propagation

Plant propagation...
“the art and science of multiplying
plants by sexual or asexual means.”
• •Sexual methods - seed propagation
Sexual methods - seed propagation
• •Asexual methods
Asexual methods
––rooting cuttings
rooting cuttings
––layering; air layering
layering; air layering
––grafting
grafting
––specialized structures
specialized structures
––tissue culture; micropropagation
tissue culture; micropropagation
Asexual propagation...
“vegetative reproduction, i.e.,
multiplication that does not
involve the seed cycle - clonal
propagation.”
Clone...
A genetically identical assemblage of
individuals produced from a plant
entirely by vegetative means.
Hartmann and Kester
Benefits of clonal propagation...
• •Some
Someplants
plantsproduce
producefewfew(if
(ifany)
any)viable
viableseeds.
seeds.
• •Clonal
Clonal progeny are highly uniformininall
progeny are highly uniform allcharacters.
characters.
• •Outcrossing
Outcrossingplants
plantsproduce
producehighly
highlyvariable
variableprogeny.
progeny.
• •Plants
Plantsmay
mayhave
haveextended
extendedjuvenile
juvenileperiod.
period.
• •Cloning
Cloningallows
allowsfor
forcombining
combininggenotypes
genotypesininone
oneplant.
plant.
• •Seeds
Seedsmay
mayhave
havelengthy
lengthyand
andcomplex
complexdormancies.
dormancies.
Cutting propagation...
• Cutting capable of regenerating roots (or shoots) from adventitious meristem.
• Cutting capable of regenerating roots (or shoots) from adventitious meristem.
• Cuttings defined by size and location on parent plant:
• Cuttings defined by size and location on parent plant:
– stem tip
– stem tip
– nodal
– nodal
– root
– root
– leaf
– leaf
• Cuttings also defined by condition of growth:
• Cuttings also defined by condition of growth:
– softwood, semihardwood, hardwood
– softwood, semihardwood, hardwood
Conditions required for rooting cuttings...

• •Hardwood and root cuttings require well drained medium, but little moisture control.
Hardwood and root cuttings require well drained medium, but little moisture control.
• •Leafy cuttings require high humidity to prevent excessive dehydration:
Leafy cuttings require high humidity to prevent excessive dehydration:
––intermittent mist systems.
intermittent mist systems.
––poly tents or cold frames.
poly tents or cold frames.
––fog.
fog.
• •Medium into which cuttings are stuck must be disease free, well drained, and light.
Medium into which cuttings are stuck must be disease free, well drained, and light.
• •Auxin application now standard treatment.
Auxin application now standard treatment.
Examples of cutting propagation...

Species
Species Cutting
Cutting Type
Type
African
African violet,
violet, begonia
begonia leaf
leaf cuttings
cuttings
Many
Many woody
woody shrubs
shrubs stem
stem tip
tip cuttings
cuttings (softwood)
(softwood)
brambles
brambles root
root cuttings
cuttings
Willow,
Willow, poplars
poplars dormant
dormant hardwood
hardwood cuttings
cuttings
 Grafting and budding...
“The
“The vascular
vascular cambium
cambium can
can regenerate
regenerate the
the vascular
vascular
connections
connections between
between the
the scion
scion and
and rootstock
rootstock resulting
resulting in
in
aa complete
complete plant
plant composed
composed of
of more
more than
than one
one genotype.”
genotype.”
• •Can graft scion cultivar onto size controlling rootstock.
Can graft scion cultivar onto size controlling rootstock.
• •Many difficult to root plants are graft compatible.
Many difficult to root plants are graft compatible.
• •Grafting defined by season and type of tissue.
Grafting defined by season and type of tissue.
––budding (T-budding, inverted T, patch)
budding (T-budding, inverted T, patch)
––wedge, veneer, whip and tongue, cleft, etc.
wedge, veneer, whip and tongue, cleft, etc.
• •Scion cultivar may be changed on mature trees (top working)
Scion cultivar may be changed on mature trees (top working)
Grafted and budded plants...

Species
Species Graft/bud
Graft/bud Type
Type
apples
apples chip,
chip, T-bud,
T-bud, cleft
cleft
conifers
conifers side
side veneer
veneer
pecans
pecans patch
patch
roses
roses T-bud
T-bud (shield)
(shield)
grapes
grapes modified
modified wedge
wedge
Layering...
“Layering
“Layering involves
involves inducing
inducing roots
roots on
on an
an intact
intact
(or
(or nearly
nearly so)
so) plant
plant .”
.”
•• Air
Airlayering
layering--interrupt
interruptcambium
cambiumandandcover
coverwound
woundwithwithmoistened
moistenedmedium.
medium. Ficus
Ficuselastica,
elastica,Magnolia
Magnolia
•• Simple
Simplelayering
layering--low
lowhanging
hangingbranch
branchcovered
coveredwith
withsoil
soil(with
(withor
orwithout
withoutwounding)
wounding)--many
manyshrubs
shrubs
•• Tip
Tip layering - tips of plants (brambles) at certain times of year (rat-tail condition) develop rootswhere
layering - tips of plants (brambles) at certain times of year (rat-tail condition) develop roots wherethey
theytouch
touchthe
thesoil
soil Blackberries,
Blackberries,
raspberries
raspberries
•• Mound
Moundlayering
layering--soil
soilmounded
moundedto tocover
coverbase
baseof
ofspecially
speciallypruned
prunedyoung
youngtree
tree(also
(alsoreferred
referredtotoas
asstool
stoollayering)
layering) Apple
Applerootstocks
rootstocks
Air Layering
 Specialized
Structures

Modified
Modified Stems
Stems
bulb,
bulb, corm,
corm, tuber,
tuber, rhizome
rhizome
pseudobulb,
pseudobulb, runner
runner
Modified
Modified Roots
Roots
tuberous
tuberous root
root
Propagation by specialized structures...
Species
Species Structure
Structure
tulip,
tulip, onion,
onion, Easter
Easter lily
lily bulb
bulb
potato,
potato, Jerusalem
Jerusalem artichoke
artichoke tuber
tuber
Iris,
Iris, lily-of-the
lily-of-the valley
valley rhizome
rhizome
Gladiolus,
Gladiolus, Crocus
Crocus corm
corm
strawberry,
strawberry, Ajuga
Ajuga runner
runner
Dahlia,
Dahlia, sweet
sweet potato
potato tuberous
tuberous root
root
Apomixis...

“an exception to the rule of nonclonal embryony.”

“the
“the development
development of of an
an embryo
embryo within
within aa seed
seed or
or
flowering
flowering structure
structure from
from aa source
source other
other than
than the
the
egg,
egg, resulting
resulting in
in the
the formation
formation of of an
an embryo
embryo
(sometimes
(sometimes in in addition
addition to
to the
the sexual
sexual embryo)
embryo) that
that
is
is aa clone
clone of
of the
the maternal
maternal parent.
parent. Examples
Examples
include
include polyembryony
polyembryony in in citrus
citrus and
and crabapples,
crabapples,
and
and thethe formation
formation ofof bulbils
bulbils in
in garlic.”
garlic.”
 Micropropagation...
“Micropropagation
“Micropropagation has
has many
many synonyms
synonyms -- tissue
tissue
culture,
culture, mass
mass propagation,
propagation, in
in vitro
vitro culture,
culture,
cloning.”
cloning.”
••Micropropagation
Micropropagationisisrapid,
rapid,continuous,
continuous,and
andefficient.
efficient.
••Specialized
Specialized equipment, facilities, and technicallytrained
equipment, facilities, and technically trainedpersonnel
personnelarearerequired.
required.
••Steps can be taken to obtain and maintain certified pest-free plants.
Steps can be taken to obtain and maintain certified pest-free plants.
••Cost
Costeffective
effectiveififlarge
largenumbers
numbersofofaagiven
givenclone
cloneare
areproduced.
produced.
••Widely
Widely used for orchids, ferns, many interior foliageplants,
used for orchids, ferns, many interior foliage plants,rootstocks,
rootstocks,etc.
etc.
Plants amenable to micropropagation...
Flowering
Floweringpotpotplants
plants- -Begonia,
Begonia,African
Africanviolets,
violets,orchids
orchids
Interior
Interiorfoliage
foliageplants
plants- -ferns,
ferns,Syngonium,
Syngonium,Ficus,
Ficus, Diffenbachia
Diffenbachia
Woody ornamentals - red maples, Rhododendrons,
Woody ornamentals - red maples, Rhododendrons, Nandina
Nandina
Forest
Foresttrees
trees- -Poplar,
Poplar,birch,
birch,loblolly
loblollypine
pine
Fruit
Fruittrees
trees- -apple,
apple,cherry,
cherry,pear
pear(many
(manyrootstocks)
rootstocks)
Vegetable
Vegetablecrops
crops- -potato,
potato,celery,
celery,tomato,
tomato,onion
onion(male
(male sterile)
sterile)
Plantation
Plantationcrops
crops- -banana,
banana,date
datepalm,
palm,coffee
coffee
 Types of development in vitro...

Proliferation
Proliferationofofaxillary
axillarybuds
budsfrom
fromshoot
shoottip
tipcultures.
cultures.
Differentiation
Differentiation of adventitious shoots fromleaves,
of adventitious shoots from leaves,stems,
stems,or
orroots.
roots.
Formation
Formationandandproliferation
proliferationofofsomatic
somaticembryos.
embryos.
Seed
Seedgermination
germination--orchids.
orchids.
Development
Developmentofofhaploid
haploidplants
plantsfrom
fromanthers
anthersor orovules.
ovules.
Protoplast fusion and somatic hybrid development.
Protoplast fusion and somatic hybrid development.
Propagation by seeds...
“Propagation
“Propagation by by seeds
seeds is
is the
the major
major method
method by
by
which
which plants
plants reproduce
reproduce inin nature
nature and
and one
one of
of the
the
most
most efficient
efficient and
and widely
widely used
used propagation
propagation
methods
methods for
for cultivated
cultivated crops.”
crops.”
Hartmann
Hartmann and
and Kester
Kester
•• Seeds
Seeds are
are widely
widely available,
available, inexpensive,
inexpensive, and
and easy
easy to
to handle.
handle.
•• Hybrid
Hybrid seeds
seeds are
are more
more expensive,
expensive, but
but may
may have
have production
production benefits
benefits that
that offset
offset the
the cost.
cost.
•• Large
Large scale
scale agriculture
agriculture (including
(including vegetable
vegetable crop
crop production)
production) isis dependent
dependent upon
upon seed
seed propagation.
propagation.
•• Seeds
Seeds (especially
(especially seeds
seeds of
of woody
woody plants)
plants) may
may have
have complex
complex dormancies
dormancies that
that impede
impede germination.
germination.