Horticulture Production Principles - Practical Sections PDF

Pomology department Principles of Horticulture production 102 (APM) – Practical sections Section 3 – Vegetative (asexual) propagation Asexual propagation is known as using vegetative parts (shoot, leaves, root, stem, etc.) of plants for rising new ones. These new plants are true...

Pomology department Principles of Horticulture production 102 (APM) – Practical sections Section 3 – Vegetative (asexual) propagation Asexual propagation is known as using vegetative parts (shoot, leaves, root, stem, etc.) of plants for rising new ones. These new plants are true to type (genetically identical) to the mother plant. Objectives of vegetative propagation  Certain valuable plants that produce no seeds can be effectively propagated by vegetative means.  Some plants produce seeds which do not germinate easily.  Valuable varieties can be easily propagated.  Helps to avoid or overcome the long juvenile periods of shrubs and trees.  For the maintenance of clones.  Some plants propagated vegetatviely are more resistant to diseases and stresses.  Practiced during any time of the year. 5  Vegetative propagation methods 1- Cuttings In this method, a part of a plant, specifically a stem, leaf or root is cut and planted in the soil. These cuttings are sometimes treated with hormones to induce root development. The new plant is formed from the adventitious roots developing from the cutting. Pomegranate, fig, grapes, olives are easy to be propagated using cuttings.  Vegetative propagation methods 2- Layering A method of propagation where the adventitious roots are made to form on a stem while it is still in contact or attached to mother plant. However, layering is considered being stressful to the mother plant and also obstacles the agriculture practices. Simple layering Trench layering  Vegetative propagation methods 3- Offshoots Young plants that arise from the base of the mother plant during the early growth stages of a date palm tree, however, the offshoot production is limited to a certain number for a certain period in the trees life span. Besides, missing the homogeneity among the produced offshoots.  Vegetative propagation methods 4- Suckers A shoot originating from adventitious buds at the root or base of the plant. Olives and pomegranate trees produce plenty of suckers that could be used in propagation.  Vegetative propagation methods 4- Suckers The banana has a reduced underground stem, called the corm, which bears several buds. Each of these buds sprouts and forms its own pseudostem and a new bulbous rhizome. These daughter plants are called suckers.  Vegetative propagation methods 5- Tissue culture Tissue culture (TC) is the cultivation of plant cells, tissues, or organs on specially artificial formulated nutrient media. Under controlled environmental conditions, thousands of plants can be regenerated from a single cell.  Vegetative propagation methods Tissue culture media's components:  Inorganic nutrients: which includes macro and micro nutrients  Organic nutrients: includes vitamins, amino acids, growth hormones/regulators and carbon source  Solidifying agents like agar, gelatin etc..  Vegetative propagation methods Tissue culture's advantages:  The new plantlets can be grown in a short amount of time.  Only a small amount of initial plant tissue is required.  The new plantlets and plants are more likely to be free of viruses and diseases.  The process is not dependent on the seasons and can be done throughout the year.  You need only a relatively small space to perform the process (ten times the plants in one-tenth of the space).  Vegetative propagation methods Tissue culture's disadvantages:  High level of expertise is required.  A small error may lead to complete collapse of the plant.  Culture on artificial medium may lead to the depression of unusual metabolic pathways.  There is no chance for evaluating of mutations.  In majority cases amount of secondary metabolites is negligible.  Expensive process.  Aseptic condition should be maintained throughout the growth of plant. Washing room Medium room Culture room Incubating room Date palm Grapes Apples Banana Olives