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## Reproduction in Plants ### Advantages of Vegetative Reproduction * All the good characters of the mother plant are retained by the daughter plants. * The plants developed by vegetative reproduction are genetically identical and are unlikely to be affected if a disease spreads in the farm. * Di...

## Reproduction in Plants ### Advantages of Vegetative Reproduction * All the good characters of the mother plant are retained by the daughter plants. * The plants developed by vegetative reproduction are genetically identical and are unlikely to be affected if a disease spreads in the farm. * Dispersed, plants do not take place on its own. Daughter plants tend to remain nearby and are restricted to a particular area, leading to competition for resources. ### Artificial Vegetative Propagation * These days, farmers and horticulturists have developed certain artificial methods of vegetative propagation, such as cutting, grafting, layering, and tissue culture. #### Cutting * In this method, the stem is cut into small pieces with each bearing an axillary bud. * The cut ends are planted in moist soil. * After a few days, they strike roots, and grow into new plants. * This method is normally employed for propagating plants like sugarcane, rose, china rose, lemon, etc. #### Layering * In this method, a portion of one of the lower branches of the plant with an axillary bud at the node is bent down to the ground so that it touches the soil. * A ring of bark is removed from this portion, which is then covered with soil. * Some heavy object, such as a small piece of stone or a brick, is kept on the branch so that it does not come out of the soil. * In a few days, when the branch gives out roots, it is cut off from the main plant. * It then continues to grow out. #### Grafting * In some cases, such as rose, mango, guava, etc., a small shoot or bud of a desired variety of plant is intimately fixed on the stem of another plant of the same or related species. * The plant receiving the bud or the shoot is called the *stock* and the shoot fixed on it is called the *scion*. * For a successful graft, it is important that the cambium layers of the stock and the scion must come into very close contact so that growth may continue. * The grafted points are then bound together with tape and the joint is covered with.