Resource Book on Horticulture Nursery Management

2.2.3 Vegetative Propagation
Vegetative Propagation is the formation of new individuals from the cell(s) of a
single parent. It is very common in plants; less so in animals.
Importance of Vegetative Propagation
When the seed fails to regenerate, vegetative propagation is the only method for
regeneration in such plants. Vegetative propagation has advantages such as earliness,
uniformity as well as similar phenotypes over seed or sexual regeneration. „True to type‟
is the characteristic of vegetatively propagated population. Vegetative propagation
practices are carried out in propagation structures such as polyhouse, shade net, green
house, mist house, potting shades, tissue culture labs and hardening room have improved
efficacy. Media other than ordinary soil are used for rooting or initial growth of saplings
/seedling etc. Nursery soil, finely ground farm yard manures, sphagnum moss, sand,
sawdust, vermiculite; charcoal powder, peat moss, and coco peat are some of the
important media used in nurseries for commercial production of important horticultural
crops. Many horticultural crops can be propagated by more than one method in such case,
the most effective and economic method is to be adopted.
Limitations of Vegetative Propagation
1. Plants like coconut & arecanut are difficult to propagate vegetatively.
2. Hybridization is not feasible in vegetative propagated generations of plants.
3. High skill and time are required in vegetative propagation of plants.
Types of Vegetative Propagation
A. Vegetative Propagation by Using Underground Plant Parts
i.e. Root, Corms, Bulbs, Rhizomes, etc.
B. Vegetative Propagation by Using Above Ground Vegetative Plant Parts
1. Vegetative Propagation by buds.
2. Vegetative Propagation by leaves
3. Vegetative Propagation by tissues
4. Vegetative Propagation by cuttings: a. Hardwood cuttings, b. Semi hardwood
cuttings, c. Softwood cuttings, d. Herbaceous plant part
5. Vegetative Propagation by layers: a. Air Layers, b. Tongue Layers, c. Ground
Layers, d. Mound Layers, e. Trench Layers.
6. Vegetative Propagation by buds: Patch buds, b. Ring buds, c. Forkert buds, d. „T‟
buds.
7. Vegetative Propagation by grafting: a. Approach grafting, b. Stone grafting, c.
Veneer grafting, d. Side grafting
Vegetative Propagation in Plants: Plant organs used for asexual reproduction are,
Stems: In some species, stems (stolons) produce roots at their tips forming a new
plant. The horizontal above-ground stems (called stolons) of the strawberry produce new
daughter plants at alternate nodes.
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