LESSON INFORMATION

LESSON 6: Performing Nursery Operations (PNO)

LO5 – Conduct propagation activities

INFORMATION SHEET 5.1

Setting up of nursery shed
Factors to consider in setting-up a nursery:
 Site selection:
- Topography – slope or flat
- Drainage
- Existing micro-climate
- Soil type
 Locationselection:
- Proximity to market
- Accessibility – inputs/buyers
- Labor supply
- Water supply
- Air quality
- Free from seed-borne diseases
- Peace and order situation
- Government regulations/policy
- Cost
Types of Nursery:
 Vegetable Nursery
 Orchard Nursery
 Ornamental Nursery
Selection of Quality Seedlings:
 Healthy, vigorously growing and free of diseases.
 Robust with no deformities.
 Stem is sturdy and has a large root collar diameter.
 Crown is symmetrical and dense.
 Root system that is free of deformities
 Have a dense root system with many fine, fibrous hairs with white root
tips.
 Have a ‘balance’ between shoot and root mass.
 Leaves are healthy, dark green color.
 Accustomed to short periods without water
 Accustomed to full sunlight.
Seeding Rate:
•Formula:
Amount of seeds = SR (kg/ha) x Area (ha)x 100
% germination
•Example:

Calculate the amount of tomato seeds needed for 0.5 ha. With 95%
germination and a seeding rate of 300g/ha.
Given:
SR = 300g/ha or 0.3kg/ha
Area = 0.5 ha% germination = 95
•Solution:
Amount of seeds = 0.3kg/hax0.5hax100
95%
=0.15kgx100
95%
=0.00158x100
Amount of seeds=0.158kgor158g/ha

Sowing of Seeds in Seedling Tray:

1. Read the information on the seed packet. It will tell you when to start
your seeds and what they need in the way of soil and air temperature,
humidity and light, as well as any special pre-plating treatment.
2.Fill the seedling tray with growing media.

2. Moisten the mix before seeds are sown.

3. Make hole in the center of the growing media to which the seeds will be
sown, depth will vary depending on the types or size of seeds.

4. Sow/drop carefully at least 1-2 seeds in each hole.

5. Put label in each compartment*

 6. Allow the seeds to germinate by providing the necessary care and
maintenance.

Thinning or Pricking – practice of thinning plants is done to allow them plenty

of growing room so that they can receive all the proper growth requirements
(moisture, nutrients, light, etc.) without having to compete with other
seedlings.
Seedlings should have at least two pairs of true leaves and be about 3 to 4
inches tall before thinning.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Plant propagation – plant multiplication or reproduction.

Asexual propagation – propagation of plant using the vegetative parts.

Sexual propagation – propagation of plants by seed.

Scion – any detached section of a desired mother plant that is inserted or

united into the root stock.

Root stock – a plant, usually seedling, to which the scion is inserted.

Cambium – a thin layer of the living cells between the bark and the wood.

INFORMATION SHEET 5.1

Fruit-bearing crops may be propagated by seed (sexually) or by using

sections of the leaf, stem, or root (asexually).

Propagation by seeds is easy. However, results are often unsatisfactory

because of the wide generic variations among the plants coming from seeds.
Even if you use seeds taken from superior parents, there still would exist
marked variations in the size, shape, vigor, quality, and yield of fruits. There is
only a slight chance that from thousands of seeds would come a single seed
that is an improvement over the parent.

There are several reasons for using vegetative propagation. Although it is

easier to propagate majority of plants by seeds, many do not reproduce true-to-
type from seeds. Since vegetative propagation involves no change in the genetic
make- up of the resulting plant, it possesses the same characteristic as the
parent plant.

For this reason, it is necessary to secure new plants of a given variety by

transferring vegetative parts of this variety to a stock upon which these parts
may grow. This method of propagating plants is asexual propagation.

Objectives Vegetative Propagation

 To propagate plants which don’t produce seeds

 To supplement seed production
 To obtain new plants which are true-to-type of the parent plant
 To obtain plants which yield earlier than those which are raised
directly from the seed
 To top work or give a better crown to inferior plants
 To provide a good root system for a plant with good top work but
with poor base
 To propagate a variety of plant which has good fruit but has a
weak root system
 Prevent the stock from becoming extinct. Produce superior strains
and disease-resistant plants that will be best suited under a given
climate and soil conditions.
 Methods of Asexual or Vegetative Plant Propagation
The different methods of plant propagation by means of vegetative
parts of the plant may be either natural or artificial.
The methods by which plant propagate naturally by vegetative means are
named after the propagative part of the plant, such as:
Bulb of onions
Aerial bulblets of ubi
Bulbils of maguey
Corms of banana
Tubers of gabi
Runners of strawberry
Rootstock of bandera Espanola
1. By Division
Division is a means of propagating species of plants using the modified
structures they produce. These modified structures may be a runner,
rhizome, sucker, crown, or slip.
A good example of a fruit plant that is normally reproduced by runners
is the strawberry. A runner is a modified stem that grows out of the
mother plant on the ground. If you look at a plant closely, you would see
that in every node there are roots and shoots that develop. Once the
shoot is big enough, you separate it from the mother plant and transplant
it.
The banana is another fruit plant that is propagated commercially by
division. Rhizomes and suckers are used as propagating materials. The
rhizome is the fleshy part from which the suckers and roots grow. If the
rhizome is big, you can divide it into pieces called “bits”, provided each
contains at least one well-developed bud eye. Depending on the size, you
can get two to four bits per rhizome. Local growers, however are not keen
of planting bits. They prefer suckers, particularly about two to three
months old, that bear sword-like leaves.
Another major fruit crop that is reproduced commercially by division is
the pineapple. You can plant either the crown, slip, or the sucker. The
crown is the shoot that grows on top of the fruit, the slip grows below the
fruit, while the sucker arises from the axils of the leaves near the ground.
You can plant any of these. However, growers prefer the suckers because
they bear fruits much earlier than the crown or slip. Suckers bear fruits
in about 15 to 17 months after planting, slip in 18 to 20, and the crown
in about 22 to 24 months after planting.
2. By Cutting
Cutting is the easiest and simplest of all methods of asexual
propagation. A cutting is the detached portion of a selected mother plant
intended to be multiplied.
In the case of siniguelas, success is attained when you use well
matured leafless stem cuttings. Most growers prefer cuttings having 5 to
10 centimeter basal diameter and between 1 to 2 meters long.
Leaf cuttings are practiced in flowering and ornamental plants.
Root cuttings leaf cuttings stem cuttings
3. By Marcotting
Marcotting or air layering is sometimes referred to as Chinese layering.
It is an ancient method of plant propagation. In this method, the stem is
induced to root while still attached to the mother plant. This method is
easy to do, and the success of doing it is fairly high. Marcotting can be
done anytime of the year. To save on watering, marcot during rainy
season. This method is considered to be one of the oldest methods.
Steps in Marcotting
1. Select a vigorous branch of a healthy tree which you want to
propagate.

2. Girdle the branch approximately the same as the diameter of the

branch using a sharp knife or grafting knife. Most often, growers
girdle the branch 3-5 centimeter long.

3. Remove the girdled bark of the tree or the ring of bark.

4. After removing the bark, scrape slightly the cambium layer.
5. To facilitate root formation, apply rooting hormone like the Alpha
Naphthalene Acetic Acid (ANAA) after scraping the cambium layer.
(optional)
6. Get a certain amount of sphagnum moss and place it around the
girdled part. If sphagnum moss is not available, a moistened rich
soil will do.
 7. Cover the sphagnum moss with plastic sheet or coconut husk. Tie both
ends to keep the rooting medium in contact with the girdled branch.
As an alternative, the plastic sheet may be placed first on the stem
with one end tied just below the lower cut. The rooting medium is then
inserted gradually, and the upper end of the plastic wrapping is tied
securely to the stem. This technique is more convenient and applies
with any rooting medium which crumbles if not held by the hand.
A container can be made also with a relatively thick plastic sheet,
with the bottom gathered and tied just below the lower cut and the top
expanded to form a shape like that of a funnel. The sides are
overlapped and stapled. See illustration below.

8. Cut off the marcot when it has developed sufficient roots. It must be
Cut just below the ball of sphagnum moss or growing media.
9. Trim some of the big leaves and plant them in a container big
enough to provide sufficient room for root development.
10. Place the potted marcot in a cool shady place to hasten its recovery.

4. By Layering
A layer is a branch or shoot, part of which is introduced or buried into
the soil, and develops roots while the parent plant. The part of the
branch buried in the soil and which has a slit on its underside develops
roots, if branches of some plants, by their own weight or by some
accidental circumstances, bend down to the ground and remain still on
damp soil, roots may grow on their underside. In time, the branch may
become an independent plant.
 Methods of Layering – these are different methods depending on the
kind of plant, growth habit, and adaptability of the plant

1. Mound layering – the layer is bent to the

ground at one joint or internode and
then covered with earth. To keep the
layers in position, they may be held with a
hook driven to the ground.

2. Simple layering –branches or long shoots

near the base of
the plant are bent towards the ground,
covering the stem portion where roots are
desired with soil or other planting media but
exposing the terminal.

3. Serpentine layering –This is the

same as the simple layering
except that the branch is
alternately covered and exposed
along its length. The stem is
girdled or injured at the lower
part and covered in the same
manner as in simple layering.

5. By Grafting
Grafting is a kind of propagation in which a part of one plant,
which is called scion, is inserted into another plant called the root stock,
so that the two will unite and grow as one tree, possessing the good
qualities both found in the scion and the stock.
Reasons Why Grafting is Used
1. To change the variety of an old established orchard
2. To maintain a good variety
3. A better variety can be obtained with the transfer of a
vegetative part of a selected tree to a growing limb of a stock
produced from seed
4. To repair fruit and tree crops damaged by adverse weather
conditions or injured by pests and diseases.
Basic Requirements for Successful Grafting
1. Graft closely related plants because usually they are
compatible.
2. Choose disease-free scion and actively growing root stock.
3. Use sharp knife in preparing the scion and the rootstock. Sharp
knife makes a smooth cut which affords better cambial contact.
4. Make sure that the cambium layer of the scion is directly in
contact with the cambium of the rootstock before binding them
together.
5. In wrapping the graft, make sure there is enough pressure that
could hold them together until they are permanently united.
6. In cleft, saddle, splice, and whip grafting, it is desirable to use
scions and root stocks of the same size and preferably of the
same vigor.
 Kinds of Grafting

Cleft Grafting Procedures

1. Collect the scion from a specific fruit-bearing tree.

The success of any form of propagation depends on the quality of the scion
wood to be grafted. Collect scion or bud wood early in the day while
temperatures are cool and the plants are still fully turgid. The best
vegetative buds usually come from the current season’s growth or dormant
wood that grew the previous year. Mature buds are most desirable; discard
terminal and younger buds.
2. Remove all the leaves of the scion.
3. Select a rootstock or a seedling with the same diameter as the scion.
4. With a sharp knife or grafting knife, cut the rootstock or a seedling with the
same diameter as the scion.
5. Cut the scion to a length of 15-25 cm. Shape its base to a short wedge 2-3
cm long. Split the rootstock at the center deep enough to hold the scion and
insert the wedge of the scion into the cleft of the stock.
6. Bind the union and entire scion with a strip of polyethylene plastic. After
grafting, water regularly and cover both the scion and graft union with a
transparent plastic bag, sealed at the base.
7. Loosen the plastic strip as soon as new shoots start to develop from the
scion. Remove all the shoots that develop below the graft union. The newly
grafted plant may be transplanted in the open when the leaves of the shoots
are already mature.

Illustrations of cleft grafting

Approach Grafting Procedures

1. Select one healthy seedling and two

healthy sexually propagated seedlings of
uniform sizes.
2. Bind together the three seedlings using
plastic straws.
3. Make slice about 5 cm or 1/3 of the
stem 2 inches long at both ends of the
scion of the grafted seedlings and the
same slice at one side of two sexually
propagated seedlings.
4. Join the sliced portion of the three seedlings and firmly press
together by tying with plastic straw.
 5. After two months, cut the top portion of the sexually propagated
seedling and let the scion grow for further establishment.
6. The triple rootstock seedlings are ready for final transplanting in
the field when they are about one meter in height or more.

Top working – this top method of grafting is

usually used to change top of established plants into
more desirable ones. In this method, established
plants or trees are used as stocks, and scions are
grafted or connected with their mother plant. Usually
the stock is cut to a certain height depending on the
size of the plant, leaving a stump where scions are
usually asexually propagated plants that are growing in individual
containers.
A long rectangular piece of bark is stripped downward, starting
from the top to the stumped stock where union is to occur. The size of the
bark to be removed from the stock should be equal to the slice of the bark
and wood to be made on the selected scion at the portion where union is to
occur. The cut on the scion must be perfectly smooth and as flat as
possible. The cut surface of the scion stem should be laid on the top
groove made on the stump and carefully nailed or bound to the stump in
such a way that there is an even fitting of the incised parts of both scion
and stock. Then, all exposed cut surfaces are thoroughly covered with
wax. A number of scions can be placed on one rootstock depending on the
size of the latter. After the union has occurred, the base of the scion stem
is cut below the graft, and all the buds that will grow on the stock plant
must be removed.

Splice Grafting

In this method of grafting, the detached scion used is leafless,

usually with a terminal leaf bud and/or well developed dormant leaf buds.
The stock is usually a seedling. The stock and scion should be of equal
sizes.

Side Grafting

In this method of grafting, the basal portion of a detached scion is

joined at the side of the trunk of the stock. A long diagonal or sloping cut
is made on the basal portion of the scion. On the other hand of the trunk
of the stock where the union is to occur, a section of the bark and wood is
sliced equal to the cut surface of the scion. Then the cut surface of the
scion is fitted on the cut surface in the trunk of the stock, and the two are
bound tightly with a grafting tape or strip of polyethylene making their
cambia come in contact.
Propagation by Means of Budding – This refers to the method of
propagating a plant by taking a bud from a shrub or a tree and planting
it in another plant.

Procedures in Budding

1. Select healthy and good quality stocks from a good variety that has
recently flowered or produced prolific fruits.

Fig. 3 Illustration of t-budding operations

Fig 4. Illustration of how to cut the bud for chip budding

2. Remove the leaves and thorns of the stem or budding

sticks.
3. With the aid of a sharp budding knife, cut the bud and a section of
the bark with or without wood to shape like a shield.
4. Insert the bud shield with the cut surface facing the wood and the
wood exposed.
5. Using plastic budding strips, wrap the bud shield and rootstock
firmly to hold them together until healing is completed.
6. Remove the wrapping materials 10-14 days after budding to
prevent constriction at the bud union as the plant grows.
7. Cut the top of the rootstock after the union has occurred and the
attached bud has resumed its growth.