Why do gardeners use the method of cutting and grafting?

Gardeners and farmers use artificial methods of vegetative propagation to increase the Stock of a plant. The following two are the most common methods of artificial vegetative propagation.

1. Cuttings:

Artificial vegetative propagation in which cuttings are taken from stem or root of parent and are placed in soil.

In this method, cuttings may be taken mainly from the stems or roots of parent plant. These cuttings must have a meristematic region from which growth can occur. When cuttings are placed in a suitable soil and under right conditions (sufficient nutrients, water and sunlight), they form roots and shoots. Roots and shoots grow and develop into a plant identical to the parent plant from which the cuttings were taken.

Example:

Roses, ivy and grapevines are propagated by stem cuttings. Sweet potato is an enlarged root. Farmers place it in moist sand or soil until it produces several plantlets. Then the plantlets are removed and planted.

Advantages:

Cutting is used to produce many plants from a single plant. All new plants are exactly the same. This artificial vegetative propagation has been very beneficial on sugar cane plantation.

2. Grafting:

A type of artificial vegetative propagation in which a piece of stem is cut from the plant and is inserted into another plant with established root system.

Explanation:

In grafting, a piece of stem is cut from the plant and is attached with another plant with established root system. After a while, the vascular bundles of the attached stem piece and the host plant are connected to each other. The stem piece and the plant begin to grow together.

Advantages:

This method is used to propagate many roses, peach trees, plum trees and various seedless fruits (including grapes).

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