S.V.M.

PUBLIC SCHOOL
AISSCE 2019-20

Biology Project File

Vegetative Propagation

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Mrs. Preeti Mishra Ishika Agarwal
HOD Biology XII – B (Science)
 CERTIFICATE
It is hereby to certify that the original and genuine investigation
work has been carried out about the subject matter and the
related data collection and investigation has been completely
solely, sincerely and satisfactorily done by Ishika Agarwal of
Class XII-B S.V.M. Public School Jaipur regarding the project
titled ‘Vegetative Propagation’ in the academic year 2019-20
under my supervision and submitted the report of the same for
AISSCE Practical Examination by CBSE.

Signature
Mrs. Preeti Mishra
HOD Biology
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It would be my utmost pleasure to express my sincere thanks to

my Biology teacher Mrs. Preeti Mishra in providing the
helping hand in this project. Her valuable guidance, support and
supervision all through this project are responsible for attaining
its present form.

I would like to express my gratitude to lab assistant sir and would

also like to thank my parents for their support and
encouragement for making this project.

Ishika Agarwal
XII – B (Science)
 INDEX
1. CERTIFICATE

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

3. INDEX

4. INTRODUCTION

5. ADVANTAGES OF VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION

6. DISADVANTAGES OF VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION

7. NATURAL VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION

8. ARTIFICIAL VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION

9. CONCLUSION

10. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 INTRODUCTION
Vegetative propagation refers to the process of plant
reproduction whereby a fragment of a parent plant is taken
in order to produce more plants. These fragments, known
as cuttings, are able to grow into complete plant without
much interference. It is a type of asexual reproduction.
Modern India Agriculture implement new techniques to
increase the yield, vegetative propagation has been
emerged as a good technique for this purpose as many
plants reproduce naturally via vegetative propagation and
it is also possible for botanists to artificially induce
vegetative propagation.

So, we can classify vegetative propagation in two types:

1. Natural vegetative propagation

2. Artificial vegetative propagation
ADVANTAGES OF VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION

There are several advantages of vegetative propagation:

1. The offsprings are genetically identical and therefore

advantageous traits can be preserved.

2. Only one parent is required which eliminates the need

for special mechanisms such as pollination, etc.

3. Vegetative propagation is especially beneficial to the

agriculturists and horticulturists. They can raise crops
like bananas, sugarcane, potato, etc. that do not produce
viable seeds. The seedless varieties of fruits are also a
result of vegetative propagation.

4. The modern technique of tissue culture can be used to

grow virus-free plants.

5. Many plants are able to tide over unfavorable conditions.

This is because of the presence of organs of asexual
reproduction like the tubers, corm, bulbs, etc.
DISADVANTAGES OF VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION

Despite having several advantages there are certain

disadvantages associated with the vegetative propagation:

1. The plants gradually lose their vigor as there is no

genetic variation. They are more prone to diseases that
are specific to the species. This can result in the
destruction of an entire crop.

2. Since many plants are produced, it results in

overcrowding and lack of nutrients.

3. Requires skilled labor and aftercare which is costly.

4. Each plant has to be individually propagated so it is time

consuming.

5. Colonization of the new localities is unlikely. Thus the

plants are not widely distributed.
 NATURAL VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION
Natural vegetative propagation involves the
development of a new plant from parts of a single
mature plant. The new plants grow and develop
naturally without human intervention. An important
ability that is key to enabling vegetative propagation in
plants is the ability to develop adventitious roots. These
are roots that arise from plant structures other than the
root, such as stems or leaves. Modified stems are most
often the source of vegetative propagation in many
plants.

The units of natural vegetative propagation are:

1. Runner
2. Rhizome
3. Tuber
4. Sucker
5. Bulb
6. Corm
7. Offset
8. Plantlets
 RUNNER
A runner is the stem portion of the plant that tends to grow
horizontally as opposed to upright like the main stem. The end
tip of the runner can produce buds that develop into new
plants that are clones. Runner plants are especially beneficial
because gardeners can harvest from more plants than were
originally planted.
Examples: grass, peppermint, and strawberries.
 RHIZOME
Rhizome are horizontal underground plant stem capable of
producing the shoot and root systems of a new plant. Rhizomes
are used to store starches and proteins and enable plants to
survive an annual unfavorable season. In plants such as water
lilies and many ferns, the rhizome is the only stem of the plant.

Examples: ginger and turmeric.

 TUBER
Tuber, specialized storage stem of certain seed plants. Tubers
are usually short and thickened and typically grow below
the soil. Largely composed of starch-storing parenchyma tissue,
they constitute the resting stage of various plants and enable
overwintering in many species. As modified stems, most tubers
bear minute scale leaves, each with a bud that has the potential
for developing into a new plant.
Example: potato
 SUCKER
Sucker is a plant shoot that arise either from the underground
portion of the stem or from an adventitious bud on the root.
Suckers makes the banana plant perennial. Suckers emerge and
ensure a more or less continuous supply of shoots, each capable
of producing an inflorescence. To propagate suckers, the
‘division method’ is used. The new suckers will grow to become
mature plants that will also produce new suckers.

Examples: banana and pineapple

 BULB
Bulbs are shortened underground storage structures. They are
stems that are enclosed with fleshy, concentric layered leaves.
Bulbs produce smaller buds (lateral buds) which appear between
the layers of the parent bulb. As the mature plants gets to the end
of its life, the lateral bud develops into a smaller bulb that
attaches to the base of the parent bulb. The new bulb can be
separated and planted.

Examples: Tulips, Lilies and onions.

 CORM
Corms are enlarged bulb-like underground stems. These
vegetative structures store nutrients in fleshy, solid
stem tissue and are typically surrounded externally by papery
scale-like leaves. Due to their external appearance, corms are
commonly confused with bulbs. The major difference is that
corms consist internally of solid tissue, while bulbs consist of
layers of scale-like leaves. Corms produce adventitious roots and
possess buds that develop into new plant shoots.
Examples: crocus and taro
 OFFSET
Offsets are lateral shoots used for plant propagation. They
develop around the base of a monocot’s stem or trunk, and are
allowed to grow and develop their own root system before being
separated from the parent plant and planted elsewhere. Offsets
form when meristem regions of plants, such as axillary
buds or homologous structures differentiate into a new plant
with the ability to become self-sustaining. This is particularly
common in species that develop underground storage organs.
Examples: eichhornia and pistia
 PLANTLETS
Plantlets are vegetative structures that develop on some plant
leaves. These miniature, young plants arise from meristem tissue
located along leaf margins. Upon maturity, plantlets develop
roots and drop from leaves. They take root in the soil forming
new plants. Plantlets may also develop from the runners of
certain plants such as spider plants.
Examples: kalanchoe and bryophyllum
 ARTIFICIAL VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION
Artificial vegetative propagation is a type of plant
reproduction that is accomplished through artificial means
involving human intervention. This method is employed by
many farmers and horticulturists to produce healthier crops with
more desirable qualities.

The most common types of artificial vegetative reproductive

techniques involve:

1. Cutting
2. Layering
3. Grafting
4. Tissue culture
 CUTTING
Cutting propagation is growing a plant from a stem or root or
leaf that has been cut from another plant. Plants such as roses and
sugarcane can be cut at the points of nodes and internodes. These
points are then placed in moist soils. After some time,
adventitious roots develop at the points and new plants begin to
grow.

There are many types of cutting techniques, grouped into three

categories:

1.Stem cutting

2.Leaf cutting

3.Root cutting

Stem cutting produces new roots, root cutting produces new

stems and leaf cutting produces both stems and roots.
 STEM CUTTING
Stem cutting refers to a process used during vegetative
propagation whereby a piece of the plant’s stem is rooted into a
growth medium such as moist soil. Consequently, the stem
cutting will thrive and grow as a new plant, which is entirely
independent of the mother plant provided that the conditions are
suitable.
Stem cuttings produce fresh roots, and once this happens, the
stem cuttings are no longer cuttings, but new, young plants.
Because their genetics are the exact same as the parent plant in
which they are taken, plants grown from stem cuttings are also
called clones. The entire process is called cloning.

Example: sugarcane and bamboo

 LEAF CUTTING
Leaf cuttings, in which a leaf is placed on moist soil. These have
to develop both new stems and new roots. Some leaves will
produce one plant at the base of the leaf. In some species,
multiple new plants can be produced at many places on one leaf,
and these can be induced by cutting the leaf veins. This process
can be accelerated if the last centimeter of the petiole is dusted
with a mixture of talcum powder and synthetic auxin before
the leaf is planted in the moist soil at the beginning. This mixture
is often called "rooting hormone".

Examples: oxalis and jasmine

Leaf planted in the soil which grow into new plant

 ROOT CUTTING
Root cutting is a portion of plant root cut that is used for plant
propagation. In this method of plant propagation, the portion of
root is cut from a parent plant (often called a mother plant),
placed in a growing medium, and then left to grow. This process
results in the creation of an entirely new, separate plant that is
often considered a 'clone' of the parent plant, with the same
genetic qualities. The new shoots grow from the part of the root
closest to the plant.

Examples: raspberry and blackberry

 LAYERING
The development of roots on a stem while the stem is still
attached to the parent plant is called layering. A layer is the
rooted stem following detachment (removal) from the parent
plant. Some plants propagate naturally by layering, but
sometimes plant propagators assist the process. Layering is
enhanced by wounding the stem where the roots are to form. The
rooting medium should always provide aeration and a constant
supply of moisture.

There are many types of layering, some of which are:

1. Simple Layering

2. Mound Layering

3. Air Layering
 SIMPLE LAYERING
Simple layering can be accomplished by bending a low
growing, flexible stem to the ground. Cover part of it with soil,
leaving the remaining 6 to 12 inches above the soil. Bend the tip
into a vertical position and stake in place. The sharp bend will
often induce rooting, but wounding the lower side of the bent
branch may help also. It can be done in early spring using a
dormant branch, or in late summer using a mature branch.
Periodically check for adequate moisture and for the formation
of roots. It may take one or more seasons before the layer is ready
to be removed for transplanting.
Examples: climbing roses, forsythia, honeysuckle, boxwood
 MOULD LAYERING
Mound layering is useful with heavy-stemmed, closely
branched shrubs and rootstocks of tree fruits. Cut the plant back
to 1 inch above the soil surface in the dormant season. Dormant
buds will produce new shoots in the spring. Mound soil over the
new shoots as they grow. Roots will develop at the bases of the
young shoots. Remove the layers in the dormant season.

Examples: apple rootstocks, spirea, quince, daphne

 AIR LAYERING
Air Layering is an effective propagation method for some plants
that do not root readily from cuttings. In this method one needs
sphagnum moss to wrap around a wounded section of the stem.
Wound an area below the node with an upward 1-inch slash.
Wedge a toothpick or small piece of wood into the cut to keep it
from closing, then wrap the moss around the cut and secure it
with floral ties or plant twine. Cover the entire thing in aluminum
foil to prevent sunscald and plastic wrap to conserve the
moisture. The actual time for any plant to produce roots will vary
but will average a couple weeks to a month. Once you have roots,
remove the plant material and pot it.

Examples: magnolia, azalea, camellia

 GRAFTING
Grafting is a form of plant propagation that consists of joining
two separate plant parts together to create a new plant. The two
parts to a graft include the scion, or the top branch, and the
understock, also called the rootstock, which is the bottom
portion with the roots. It is common on trees, but also works on
shrubs, perennials and even some vegetables.

There are many types of layering, some of which are:

1. Whip and Tongue Graft

2. Cleft Graft
3. Side Veneer Graft
 Whip and Tongue Graft
The whip and tongue graft is performed on deciduous trees, but
works on any woody plant. This graft produces a new plant by
joining a single, straight scion on top of a cut-off rootstock. The
rootstock and scion need to be the same size, optimally less than
1 inch in diameter. Each piece is cut at a matching 45-degree
angle. A second, vertical cut in each piece creates notches or
tabs. The scion fits against the rootstock with their corresponding
notches interlocking together. Wrapping the graft with grafting
tape holds the pieces in place while they grow together.

Example: Weeping Cherry Trees

 Cleft Graft
Cleft grafting attaches a less hardy scion variety to a hardy
rootstock, changing the variety of the plant. Cleft grafts are
common on fruit trees and performed during the winter while the
trees are dormant. Proper scions must contain 2 to 3 buds and
have a diameter of one-quarter inch. Rootstocks need to be
straight with a 1- to 4-inch diameter. Preparation of the rootstock
includes a horizontal topping cut and a 2- to 3-inch deep vertical
cut down its center. The scion, sporting two angled cuts on either
side of its bottom end, fits inside the vertical cut on the rootstock
with the exposed wood touching the inside walls of the rootstock.
Grafting wax painted over the rootstock's top seals the cuts and
stabilizes the graft.
 Side Veneer Graft
Side veneer graft joins a scion to a dormant, potted rootstock to
create a new plant or replace an existing branch. Removal of a 1-
inch section of bark on the side of the rootstock or branch creates
the graft's location. The bottom of the scion undergoes a 45-
degree angle cut to create a surface that matches the cut on the
rootstock. Pressing the scion to the exposed wood of the
rootstock and wrapping around the two pieces with grafting tape
completes the graft.

Example: Specialty pines, spruce

 TISSUE CULTURE
Tissue Culture refers to a method in which fragments of a tissue
(plant or animal tissue) are introduced into a new, artificial
environment, where they continue to function or grow. While
fragments of a tissue are often used, it is important to note that
entire organs are also used for tissue culture purposes. Here, such
growth media as broth and agar are used to facilitate the process.
While the term tissue culture may be used for both plant and
animal tissues, plant tissue culture is the more specific term used
for the culture of plant tissues in tissue culture.
Plant tissue culture relies on the fact that many plant cells have
the ability to regenerate a whole plant (totipotency). Single cells,
plant cells without cell walls (protoplasts), pieces of leaves,
stems or roots can often be used to generate a new plant on
culture media given the required nutrients and plant hormones.

Steps of Tissue Culture

1. Initiation Phase (Stage I): In this phase the tissue of
interest is obtained, introduced and sterilized in order to
prevent any microorganism from negatively affecting the
process.
2. Multiplication Phase (Stage II): In this phase the in vitro
plant material is re-divided and then introduced in to the
medium. Here, the medium is composed of appropriate
components for growth including regulators and nutrients.
3. Root formation (Stage III): It is at this phase that roots
are formed. Here, hormones are required in order to induce
rooting and will result in the development of a callus.
4. Shoot formation (Stage IV): In this phase after a few
weeks the callus produces shoots. Once the shoots are
developed, then the plant section may be placed in the right
environment for further growth.
Benefits of Tissue Culture
1. Can be used to produce large quantities of a given plant.
2. Can be used to maintain a virus free stock of the plant of
interest.
3. Helps in the production of plants from seeds that otherwise
have very low chances of germinating and growing.

Technique for Plant In Vitro Culture

Micropropagation: This technique is used for the purposes of

developing high-quality clonal plants. This has the potential to
provide rapid and large-scale propagation of new genotypes.
Somatic Cell Genetics: Used for haploid production and
somatic hybridization.
Transgenic Plants: Used for expression of mammalian genes or
plant genes for various species it has proved beneficial for the
engineering of species that are registered against viruses and
insects.
 CONCLUSION
Vegetative Propagation can be widely used for
the conservation of plants. Plants unable to
produce seeds, e.g. sugarcane, rose, grapes, etc.
can be propagated by these methods. These
methods are easier and conventional than
growing plants from their seeds. Usually, it takes
around 4-7 years for bearing flowers and fruits by
the plants, but vegetatively propagated plants
produce flowers and fruits within 1-2 years. But
there are few drawbacks also of these techniques
such as the vegetatively propagated plants are
genetically similar to their parent plants thus there
is no variation which causes a gradual decrease in
vigour and becomes more susceptible to diseases
which ultimately lead to the destruction of plant
species.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetative_reproduction

2. https://www.thoughtco.com/vegetative-propagation-

4138604

3. https://www.topperlearning.com/answer/what-are-

advantages-and-disadvantages-of-vegetative-

propagation/4646

4. https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1662-

vegetative-plant-propagation

5. http://www.funscience.in/study-

zone/Biology/AsexualReproduction/ArtificialVegetativePr

opagation.php#sthash.kJNfyKUJ.dpbs