Propagation: Meaning, Types

What is Vegetative Propagation?

Vegetative propagation refers to asexual methods of plant reproduction. This involves plants’ leaves, roots, stems and seeds. This can happen through the fragmentation or regeneration of particular vegetative parts.

Let’s look at some examples of vegetative propagation.

Types of Vegetative Production

You can choose from:

Natural Vegetative Propagation

This happens when plants grow and develop naturally, free from human intervention. Inviting roots can enable natural vegetative propagation. The roots, stem, and leaves can all be used to create new plants.

The vegetative plant structures that emerge from the stem are known by the names rhizomes. These are the plants that can vegetatively be propagated.

Stem

Runners are horizontally arranged above the ground. The runners have nodes that produce the buds.

Roots

Tubers, which are modified roots that have swollen and become new plants, can be used to create new plants. At the base of the stem, buds form.

Leaves

A few plants have leaves that are detached from their parent plant and become a new plant.

Bulbs

Bulbs have an underground stem that holds the leaves. These leaves can be used to store food. The bulb’s centre contains an apical flower bud, which produces leaves and flowers. From the lateral buds, shoots can be developed.

Artificial Vegetative Production

This is a type or vegetative reproduction performed by humans in fields and labs. Artificial vegetative reproduction is the most common type.

Cutting

This involves cutting a piece of a plant (specifically a stem, or leaf) and planting it in soil. To stimulate root development, these cuttings may be treated with hormones. The adventitious roots from the cutting are what create the new plant.

Grafting

The cutting of another plant is attached to the root of the rooted plant. The graft tissues are merged with the rooted plants’ tissues and form a single plant.

Layering

This involves bending the stem of a plant to the ground, and then covering it with soil. From the soil-covered plant parts, adventitious roots emerge. This layer is the attached stem and developing roots.

Tissue Culture

To create a new species, plant cells are taken from different sections of a plant and cultured in a laboratory. This method is useful in increasing the number of rare and endangered species of plants that cannot grow under natural conditions.