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Methods of asexual propagation in plants, also called plant cloning methods, have been enjoyed for many years by greenhouse hobbyists, gardeners, horticulturalists, and commercial farmers. With reasons varying from producing genetic clones of their favorite plant species to maintaining healthy plant harvests. Plant cloning, by definition, is the process wherein an identical copy of an adult plant is
made. There are different cloning methods in plants, and they are namely cloning through cutting, tissue culture cloning, and grafting. Along with different plant cloning methods, some techniques are done to ensure the success of the process.


Cloning through Cutting
Cloning through cutting is the easiest method available to everyone, and is commonly used by hobbyists. You do not have to be a professional to create plant duplicates using this method. The process is done by cutting (ideally a 45-degree angle cut) an area off of one of the branches of an adult donor plant that will be cloned, just above the node site. Some plants easily grow roots that by just placing the cut branch directly into a cup of water, you will be able to see root growth after just a few days. The branch with roots can then be transplanted into the soil or a growing medium (coco fiber, perlite, clay pebbles, stone wool, peat moss). On the other hand, some more finicky plant varieties do not grow roots easily by just placing the cut branch in water, and for this, a cloning gel or a rooting hormone can be used to help them root better.


With the cutting method (as with other cloning methods), it is essential to begin by choosing a donor plant that is healthy and not exhibiting any obvious signs of environmental stress. A donor plant that is wilted or carries disease and pest insects will result in a genetic duplicate that has the same traits.


Tissue Culture Cloning
Another method of plant cloning, which is commonly used by professional commercial growers, is tissue culture cloning. Tissue culture is a cloning process wherein a donor plant is cloned using its cells or tissues. Plant tissues are grown in Petri dishes, and a sterile environment is needed for this process. Although not commonly used by ordinary gardeners and hobbyist, an advantage of the tissue culture method is that horticulturalists can use any part of the donor plant – stem, fruit, leaves, seeds, roots, etc. for cloning. Even diseased plants can be replicated using the tissue culture cloning method. The downside, though, is that it is a much longer process. There are tissue culture kits available for
greenhouse hobbyists, and although it will be a nice experience to experiment with the process, you need to take note of the sterile environment needed to ensure cloning success.


Grafting
Most of the fruit trees, where commercially sold fruits, are from are grafted. Grafting is a different method of cloning plants. This is a much-complicated process and is normally done by professional commercial growers. The process of grafting involves the fusion of the tissues of two plants. These two plants are called the rootstock (root portion) and the scion (plant with the desired gene, usually a stem or branch). A good example of grafting is an apple tree, with its branch (graft or the scion) is merged to the rootstock of a much sturdy tree. Grafting is usually done to make sure the apple tree can survive any weather.

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