Vegetative Propagation of Horticulture Plants by Cuttings

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Vegetative Propagation of Horticulture
PlantsbyCuttings
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Introduction
Vegetative propagation also called as asexual
propagation is another method of plant
propagation used widely in horticultural crops.
Vegetative propagation uses several of the plant
parts for reproducing the plant asexually.
Cuttings
Runners
Storage organs
Layering
Grafting
Micropropagation
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Introduction
Vegetative propagation is used to get the similar
genetic background of mother plants.
Good skill, knowledge and experience aids in
vegetative propagation of plants in large scale.
Vegetative propagation is widely used in
horticultural crops nurseries.
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Introduction
The advantages of vegetative propagation are
Mass production of plants using plant parts of
mother parent.
No seed is required to multiply varieties having
desired quantitative and qualitative traits
Useful technique in production of plants which
are difficult to propagate using seed.
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Propagation using Cuttings
One of the easiest way of plant propagation is by
using cuttings from various parts of the plants
such as
Stem cuttings
Root cuttings
Leaf cuttings
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Propagation using Cuttings
Stem cuttings
Cuttings should generally consist of the current
or past seasons growth.
Avoid material with flower buds if possible.
Remove any flowers and flower buds when preparing
cuttings so the cuttings energy can be used in
producing new roots rather than flowers.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Stem cuttings
Take cuttings from healthy, disease-free plants,
preferably from the upper part of the plant.
Avoid taking cuttings from plants that show
symptoms of mineral nutrient deficiency.
Conversely, plants that have been fertilized
heavily, particularly with nitrogen, may not root
well.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Stem cuttings
The fertility status of the stock (parent) plant
can influence rooting.
The stock plant should not be under moisture
stress.
In general, cuttings taken from young plants root
in higher percentages than cuttings taken from
older, more mature plants.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Stem cuttings
Early morning is the best time to take cuttings,
because the plant is fully turgid.
While terminal parts of the stem are best, a long
shoot can be divided into several cuttings.
Cuttings are generally 4 to 6 inches long.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Stem cuttings
Use a sharp, thin-bladed pocket knife or sharp
pruning shears.
If necessary, dip the cutting tool in rubbing
alcohol or a mixture of 1 part bleach to 9 parts
water to prevent transmitting diseases from
infected plant parts to healthy ones.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Stem cuttings
Remove the leaves from the lower one-third to
one-half of the cutting (Fig.)
On large-leafed plants, the remaining leaves may
be cut in half to reduce water loss and conserve
space.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Types of Stem cuttings
Softwood cuttings are prepared from soft,
succulent, new growth of woody plants, just as it
begins to harden (mature).
Shoots are suitable for making softwood cuttings
when they can be snapped easily when bent and
when they still have a gradation of leaf size
(oldest leaves are mature while newest leaves are
still small).
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Propagation using Cuttings
Types of Stem cuttings
Semi-hardwood cuttings are usually prepared from
partially mature wood of the current seasons
growth, just after a flush of growth.
The wood is reasonably firm and the leaves of
mature size.
Many broadleaf evergreen shrubs and some conifers
are propagated by this method.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Types of Stem cuttings
Hardwood cuttings are taken from dormant, mature
stems.
The wood is firm and does not bend easily.
Hardwood cuttings are used most often for
deciduous shrubs but can be used for many
evergreens.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Types of Stem cuttings
The three types of hardwood cuttings are
straight, mallet, and heel (Fig.).
A straight cutting (1) is the most commonly used
stem cutting.
Mallet (2) and heel cuttings (3) are used for
plants that might otherwise be more difficult to
root.
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2
1
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Propagation using Cuttings
Root cuttings
Taking root cuttings is one of the most reliable
and economical ways to produce many perennial and
woody plants.
Take a close look at the roots that you want to
take cuttings from and make sure they're healthy,
living roots, not dead ones that look black or
dried out.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Root cuttings
Look for large fleshy roots, the thicker the
better. Choose roots that are pencil thick.
Take 2 to 6 inch (2 to 15 cm) cuttings and then
cut into 2 to 3 inch (6 to 7.5 cm) sections.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Root cuttings
The best way to keep track of "up" and "down" is
to make a flat cut on top or "up" side, and a
slanted cut on "down" or bottom side.
Water the plants to settle the roots back into
the soil properly.
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Propagation using Cuttings
Leaf cuttings
Whole leaf cuttings are prepared from leaves with
or without their stalks (called petioles). Roots
and leaves will eventually form at the base of
the leaf (Fig.).
Leaf section cuttings can be used for propagating
plants.
The leaves are cut into pieces, with the edge of
the cuttings closest to the base of the parent
plant inserted into the rooting medium .
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Propagation using Cuttings
Leaf cuttings
Leaf bud cuttings consist of a single leaf
attached to a piece of 1 to 1 1/2 inch stem.
The dormant bud, located where the leaf stalk
joins the stem will give rise to a new shoot and
branches (Fig.).
The cutting should be inserted in the rooting
medium with the bud about 1/2 inch below the
surface.