Methods of Crop Propagation

Methods of Crop Propagation:

2.2.1   Propagation by Seed (Sexual Propagation)

A seed is known as the product of sexual propagation which represents an entire embryonic plant that is covered by protective tissue meanwhile they are considered dormant until it is exposed to a favorable environmental conditions like: moisture, warm temperatures, and light which encourages germination.  After the seedling has developed its first true leaves, a mild fertilizer solution can be applied but you have to know that the issue of the quality of a seed plays a major role in the success of a germinating seed for example maize, okro, groundnut, rice, beans, cucumber, watermelon, fluted pumpkin (vegetable) etc.  

2.2.2              Propagation by Vegetative Organ (Asexual Propagation)

Asexual propagation is a process where a new plant is produced from a parent plant parts: leaves, stems, buds, or roots. Due to this method, the newly produced plant always appears to look like the parent plant (where the part was taken from) for example cassava stems, orange can be propagated from the stem as well as from the seed.

                                

2.3       Advantages of Propagation

2.3.1   Propagation by seed (sexual propagation)

1.    Seeds of any crop are always produced in mass. For example: when you see any seed like : maize seeds, okro seeds, paw-paw seeds, watermelon seeds, cucumber seeds etc you will find out that their seeds are always much even some of them are very difficult to count.

2.    Seeds can be stored and transported easily.

3.    Seed sowing is easy to mechanize.  etc

2.3.2   Propagation by Vegetative Organ (Asexual propagation)

1.    There is always uniformity in vegetative production for example: once you use a stem or any part of the plant to propagate a new one, you must be rest assured that that stem will look exactly like the parent plant.  

2.    They grow faster than in seed propagation due to they don’t have to germinate before growing, they bypass those stages.

3.    They can produce some plants that cannot be easily produced from seed etc.

2.4     Disadvantages of Propagation

2.4.1                 Propagation by Seed (sexual propagation)

1. Seedlings always have to go through different stages of immature phases before fruiting.

2. During Harvesting, seeds can be difficult to be harvested because there is always an extraction of some seeds from their fruit which is always difficult.

3. Sexual reproduction takes longer because it starts with germination.

2.4.2                 Propagation by Vegetative Organ (Asexual propagation)

1. The vegetative material which can be used for propagation is more difficult to store than in the case of seed.

2. It is always difficult to mechanize the planting of vegetative materials etc.