This document discusses methods of asexual reproduction, including vegetative propagation. It describes the key characteristics of asexual reproduction as single parent reproduction that does not involve gametes or fertilization. The main methods of asexual reproduction are listed as fission, budding, spore formation, and vegetative propagation. Vegetative propagation is then discussed in further detail, outlining natural propagation methods like roots, stems, leaves, and artificial propagation techniques including cutting, layering, grafting, bud grafting, and plant tissue culture.

1. METHODS OF
ASEXUAL
REPRODUCTION
TO: Miss Kanika Bhatia
BY: SAKSHAM
CHOUDHARY
BSc. Agriculture hons.
Semester 3

2. WHAT IS REPRODUCTION?
• It is a biological process in which organisms produce
young ones similar to themselves.
• They grow and mature to repeat the process.
• Most important characteristic of living beings.

3. FEATURES OF REPRODUCTION
• Synthesis of RNA, proteins and other biochemicals.
• Replication of DNA.
• Cell division.
• Growth of cells.
• Formation of new individuals from reproductive units.

4. TYPES OF REPRODUCTION
1. Asexual reproduction
2. Sexual reproduction

5. ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
• It is uniparental.
• Offsprings are produced without
the involvement of gametic
fusion.
• Offsprings are genetically and
morphologically similar to
parents.
• Offsprings are also referred as
Clones.

6. CHARACTERISTICS:
• Single parent is involved.
• Gametes are not formed.
• Absence of fertilization.
• Only mitotic cell division.
• Rapid multiplication.

7. METHODS OF ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
1. Fission.
2. Budding
3. Spore formation.
4. Vegetative propagation.

8. 1. FISSION
i. Binary fission:
• Parent cell divides into two smaller and
nearly equal sized daughter cells.
• Most common method of asexual
reproduction in bacteria.
• Parent body as whole constitutes
reproductive unit and disappears after
division.
• As no dead body of parent is left as it
continues to live as two parent cells, these
organisms are considered immortal.
• E.g. Amoeba, Paramecium.

9. ii. MULTIPLE FISSION
• Parent divides into many small daughter
cells.
• Mostly occurs under unfavourable
conditions.
• Bacteria forms 3 layered cyst wall around
itself.
• When condition become favourable cyst
ruptures and to release many small
spores.
• E.g Amoeba.

10. 2. BUDDING
• Formation of daughter individual from a
small projection called bud from the parent
body.
• Parent cell develops a small bud which
grows in size.
• Parent nucleus divides and one of the two
daughter nuclei goes into the bud.
• Finally, bud gets detached and grows into
new individual.
• E.g Yeast, Hydra.

11. 3. SPORE FORMATION
• Spores are minute, single celled, thin or
thick-walled propagules.
• They are dispersive structures which
forms new individuals.
• Motile spores are called zoospores e.g
Chlamedomonas.
• Non-motile spores are called conidia,
oidia, sporangiospores,
chlamydospores.
e.g Pencillium, Agaricus etc.

12. 4. VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION
• Formation of new plants from vegetative units such as buds,
tubers, rhizomes etc.
• This method produces a large number of clones in shortest time.
• It preserves purity, resistance and good quality of variety.

13. TYPES OF VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION
1) Natural method
i. Roots: Sweet potato, Dahlia, Guava etc.

14. i. Underground Stems:
• Suckers: Grow from base of aerial shoot, grow for
some distance and form new aerial shoots e.g Mint.
• Rhizomes: Underground storage root shaving buds for
shoot formation e.g Eichhornia.

15. • Corms: Underground unbranched swollen stems having circular nodes
that contain buds
e.g Banana.
• Bulbs: Underground shoots having one or more buds
e.g Onion, Garlic.
• Tubers: Having buds over nodes or eyes
e.g Potato.

16. iii. Creeping stems:
• Runners: Narrow, green and horizontal branches develop at the base
of the crown and root at intervals where new crowns are also formed
e.g Cynodon.
• Stolon: Arched horizontal branches that develop at the base of a
crown and help in vegetative propagation like runners
e.g Strawberry.
• Offsets: One internode long runners in aquatic plants
e.g Eichhornia, Pistia.

17. iv. Aerial stems:
• Each segment of such plants can form a new plant.
e.g Sugarcane
v. Leaves:
• Leaves of many plants have adventitious buds that help in vegetative
propagation.
e.g Bryophyllum.
vi. Bulbils:
• Modified multicellular floral buds that develop on flowering axis
e.g Agave, pineapple.

18. 2) ARTIFICIAL VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION
These methods of vegetative propagation were developed by humans
to quickly multiply desired varieties of plants from parts of their somatic
body.
Methods of artificial vegetative propagation:
I. Cutting.
II. Layering.
III. Grafting.
IV. Bud grafting.
V. Plant tissue culture(Micropropagation).

19. I. CUTTING
• Cut pieces of root, stems and leaves
are planted in nurseries.
• Auxins are used to promote root
growth.
i. Root cutting e.g Lemon, orange.
ii. Stem cutting e.g Grapes.
iii. Leaf cutting e.g Snake plant.

20. II. LAYERING
• Roots are artificially introduced on
stem/branches before detaching from main
plant body.
• Used on one year old basal branches during
spring or early rainy season.
• A small cut is given in middle of soft basal
branch.
• That part is put in the soil to develop roots.
• That pegged down branch of plant is called a
layer.
• After root development the layer is separated

21. III. GRAFTING
• Most common method used by ancient
gardeners.
• Two plants are joined in such a way that they
grow as one plant.
• Done between two closely related dicot plants
having vascular cambium.
• Root supporting part called stock is joined with
twig of another plant called scion.
• Generally root stock is wild variety resistant to
diseases and pests.
• Scion is developed from plant possessing better
characters.

22. • 4-12 inch long scion with buds is placed on cut end of stock.
• The joint is covered with a layer of wax or clay to prevent
evaporation and entry of pathogens.
• All buds of rooted stock must be removed.
• Within few days, scion and stock become one composite plant.
• E.g Scion of dussehri mango is grafted on stock of desi mango.

23. TYPES OF GRAFTING
i. Whip grafting: Both stock and scion are
obliquely cut at about same angle.
ii. Wedge grafting: A V-shaped notch is
made on stock and a wedge-shaped cut is
made on scion.
iii. Crown grafting: Several scions having
wedge shaped cuts are grafted on slits at the
top of stock.
iv. Side grafting: Single scion having wedge
shaped cut is inserted in lateral slit of stock.

24. IV. BUD GRAFTING
• Similar to grafting but scion consist of bud with
small portion of bark having cambium.
• The living tissue of scion bud is inserted into a
cut made in stock so it reaches cambium of
stock.
• Bud should remain exposed outside in air.
• Joint is sealed using bandage.
• After 3-5 weeks bud begins to grow.

25. V. PLANT TISSUE CULTURE
• It includes propagation of plants by culturing cells, tissues,
organs called tissue culture.
• Initially, the culturing of cells or tissues results in the
formation of undifferentiated mass of cells called callus.
• Callus later differentiates to produce a large number of
plantlets.
• These plantlets are then transferred to separate pots or
nursery beds.
• This technique is useful in obtaining virus free plants.
• This method is also used for quick multiplication of plants.

26. IMPORTANCE OF VEGETATIVE
PROPAGATION
• It is only method of reproduction for seedless plants.
• There is rapid multiplication.
• Survival rate of daughter is almost 100% in vegetative
reproduction.
• Plants which produce small quantity of seeds are mostly
propagated vegetatively.
• Original plant can be retained and multiplied indefinitely without
variation.
• Micropropagation can be used for production of disease free
plants.