module 6 - 22.1 natural cloning in plants

Question 1

where may a new plant be propagated from?

Answer 1

stem, leaf, bud or root of parent, depending on type of plant and it eventually becomes an independent form of the parent

Question 2

what does vegetative propagation involve?

Answer 2

parennating organisms which enables plants to survive in adverse conditions

Question 3

where does natural plant cloning occur?

Answer 3

• BULBS - eg daffodil, leaves swell with stored food from photosynthesis, buds form internally which develop into new shoots and new plants
• RUNNERS - eg strawberry/spider plant, lateral stem grows away from parent plant and roots develop where runners touch the ground, new plant develops, runner withers away leaving new plant
• RHIZOMES - eg marram grass, rhizome is a specialised horizontal stem running underground, often swollen with stored food, buds develop and form new vertical shoots which become new plants
• STEM TUBERS - eg potato, tip of underground stem becomes swollen with stored food to form tuber/storage organ ], buds on storage organ develop to produce new shoots

Question 4

how is natural cloning used in horticulture?

Answer 4

• used by farmers to produce new plants
• splitting bulbs, removing young plants from runners, and cutting rhizomes all increase plant numbers cheaply
• also possible to take cuttings of many plants - short sections of stems are taken and planted either directly in the ground or in pots

Question 5

What are the advantages of propagation from cuttings, over using seeds?

Answer 5

• Much faster
• guarantees quality of the plants

Question 6

What is the main disadvantage of using propagation over seeds?

Answer 6

Lack of genetic variation

Question 7

What increases success rate of cuttings in cloning?

Answer 7

• Use non-flowering stem
• make oblique cut in stem
• Use hormone rooting powder
• keep cutting well watered
• Cover cutting with plastic bag for a few days