Vegetative Propagation

Plants use vegetative propagation as a kind of asexual reproduction. The new plant emerges from various vegetative elements of the original plant, such as stems, leaves, roots, and so on, and is referred to as vegetative propagation. Vegetative propagules are the vegetative elements that can generate a new plant. It is a significant economic procedure because it does not require pollination to produce a new plant. 

Types of vegetative propagation

In terms of the types of vegetative propagation, we usually find natural and artificial vegetative propagation. Let us look at both of them in detail:

Natural vegetative propagation

Natural vegetative propagation involves the propagation of the plants by themselves without any human intervention.

 Vegetative propagation through the stem

Rhizome 

• It is an underground stem, in which buds present on the node take part in the formation of the new aerial shoot during the favourable season of growth. 
• Example-Ginger, banana.

 Tuber

• Tubers are swelling sections of an underground stem that store nourishment so that a plant can rest throughout the winter.
• Axillary buds, often known as ‘eyes,’ sprout on the tuber’s surface and create shoots that grow into new plants.
• Example- Potato.

 Bulb

• The mother bulb’s base forms lateral buds, which generate new smaller bulbs or bulbels in succeeding years.
• Example- Onion, Daffodils.

 Offset

• Offset is the modification of a stem in which there is the growth of rosette of leaves and tuft of roots at each node, and offsets have short internodes. 
• Example of offset- Pistia, water hyacinth, etc.

 Runner

• Stolons or runners are horizontal stems that grow above the ground. Tiny plantlets form along the stolon and roots from where they touch the ground.
• When the parent plant’s connection is severed, the new plant becomes self-contained.
• Strawberries are considered an example of Runner.

 Vegetative propagation through the leaves

• Bryophyllum asexually reproduces by leaves.  
• The notches on the margin have outgrown buds that are placed upside down in a moist environment. 
• Buds, when detached from the parent, grow into a new individual forming the root. 

 Vegetative propagation through roots

• In some plants, roots also bear adventitious buds like stems that sprout to form new plants. In this way, vegetative propagation through roots takes place.
• Example- Dahlia.

1. Artificial vegetative propagation

• Artificial vegetative propagation is reproduction in plants that involves human intervention and can be used to combine the best traits of the plant in a single plant to obtain the desired fruit/ trait. 
• It can produce a large number of plants in a short period. 
• This method is used to preserve a plant’s natural characteristics, which may be lost during sexual reproduction. 

There are different forms of artificial vegetative propagation, which are as follows:

 Cutting 

• In this method, a piece of a plant, commonly a stem or leaf, is cut off and planted.
• Cuttings and new plant structures are used to develop adventitious roots.
• Examples- Rose, Sugarcane.

Grafting

• Grafting is a vegetative growth process in which the stock and scion are connected to generate a new plant.
• A plant with a root system is called stock, and the one with a shoot system that is to be grafted is said to be scion. 
• Grafting is the process of attaching an ideal cutting or scion to the stem of another plant that is still growing in the ground.
• Example- Desi Mango grafted with Dasheri Mango.

Budding 

• Budding is the process of removing a bud from the desired plant’s stem along with a little part of the surrounding bark. It’s then pushed into a small incision in the stock’s bark.
• Both are knotted together and don’t get a chance to dry. Sprouting is not permitted on stock buds.
• Examples- Rose, Plums.

Layering 

• This approach entails bending plant stems or branches such that they come into contact with the earth.
• The linked shoot (branch or stem) with new roots is known as a layer, and adventitious roots or roots that grow out from structures other than plant roots form in the portions covered by soil.
• Examples- Sphagnum, Strawberry.

 Conclusion

Vegetative propagation is one of the types of asexual reproduction, in which a new plant is formed from a segment (propagule)of the parent plant or a specialised reproductive organ (such as a stolon, rhizome, tuber, corm, or bulb). See reproductive system, plant for a more broad explanation of plant reproduction. Horticulture is a broad term covering the cultivation of plants for food and decoration.