Asexual reproduction allows organisms to reproduce without the involvement of gametes or sex. In asexual reproduction, offspring are genetically identical to the parent. In plants, asexual reproduction occurs through various vegetative propagation methods like budding, binary fission, spore formation, and the growth of vegetative plant parts like roots, stems, leaves, and bulbs. Common examples of vegetative propagation include the growth of potatoes from eyes, ginger from rhizomes, and mint from horizontal stems. Cuttings, layering, grafting, and tissue culture are also artificial methods used in vegetative plant propagation. Asexual reproduction allows for faster reproduction and the preservation of desirable traits, but also makes organisms more vulnerable to diseases.
2. • Asexual reproduction produces identical
offspring.
• Only one parent is needed in asexual
reproduction, and the offspring produced
are genetically identical.
3. Asexual Reproduction in Plants
Asexual Reproduction:
•It does not involve the formation of gametes. New
organisms are formed either by the division of the
parent body or by the differentiation of the parent
body.
•Asexual reproduction occurs through,
1. Budding
2. Binary fission
3. Spore formation
4. Vegetative Propagation – The roots, stems and
leaves are called vegetative parts of a plant. When
any of these give rise to new plants, it is called
vegetative reproduction.
4. Modes of Asexual Reproduction
Budding
• Budding is commonly found in yeast cells. The bud is formed on the body
of the parent, gets detached and forms a new individual.
Binary Fission in Bacteria:
• Bacterial binary fission is the process that bacteria use to carry out cell
division as shown below.
Spore formation:
• In plants like ferns, spores are formed on the underside of the leaves.
These are capable of developing into new plants when they are carried by
the wind to other places with suitable conditions for growth.
Fragmentation
Spirogyra breaks into smaller pieces on maturation and each fragment
grows into a new individual.
• Vegetative reproduction by roots
• When sweet potatoes, asparagus, carrot are buried in the soil, they give
rise to new plants.
5. Vegetative reproduction by stems
Tuber:
• Example: Potato, The ‘eyes’ are actually buds which give rise
to new plants. If a piece of potato without the ‘eye’ portion is
planted, it cannot develop into a new plant.
Rhizome:
• Example: Ginger also gives rise to new plants from buds on
the stem. It has nodes and internodes and thin dry papery
scaly leaves.
Bulbs of onion:
• This has a thick short stem in the form of a condensed disc
covered by scale leaves. The disc has buds which can grow
into new plants.
• Some plants have horizontal stems. Roots and shoots develop
at the nodes to form new plants.
• Example: Mint, grass.
6. Vegetative reproduction by leaves
• Bryophyllum bears buds on its leaf margins. When
these fall on the ground, they develop into new
plants.
7. Artificial Vegetative Propagation
Cutting
• Cutting is removing a part of the stem and planting it into the soil to allow
the growth of roots and buds.
• Example: Sugarcane, rose, china rose, pears.
Layering:
• The lower branch of a plant is selected and a ring of the bark is removed
from the stem. The portion where the bark is removed is bent and covered
with soil. The branch is kept covered with the soil for a few days during
which new roots start to develop on the branch. The branch is then cut off
from the parent plant and allowed to grow as an individual plant.
• Example: Hibiscus, jasmine, rose, bougainvillea.
Grafting:
• A small branch is cut from the plant to be grown with a wedge-shaped
end. This is called scion. Now a V-shaped cut is made in the stem of a
rooted plant called stock. The scion is now fitted into the stock and they
are taped together. Soon the graft becomes part of the rooted plant.
Tissue Culture:
• Tissue culture is one of the ways of cloning plants. It works with small
pieces of plants, called explants.
8. • Advantages of vegetative reproduction or
vegetative propagation
1. Useful to grow seedless varieties.
2. Faster and easier than the natural process.
3. The only method of reproduction for plants
which do not produce seeds Example:
Banana and rose
4. Offspring resemble the parent exactly.
9. • Disadvantages of vegetative reproduction
or vegetative propagation
1. Being identical in all respects, these
plants may be prone to disease at the
same time.
2. Dispersal cannot occur naturally so
there tends to be overcrowding.
