1. The young plant uses the food resources of the parent plant, while it is developing.
2. Only one parent plant is involved.
3. Good and desirable parental characters are retained in the offspring.
4. The new plant formed matures more rapidly than the plant which grows from seeds.
5. A large number of desired varieties of plant are produced in a very short time.
16.1.5 Disadvantages Of Vegetative Propagation
1. No new varieties are produced.
2. Over crowding of the vegetatively produced plants leads to severe competition for survival among them.
3. Lack of variety leads to reduce resistance to disease and changes in the environment.
4. Colonization of the new localities is unlikely. Thus the plants are not widely distributed.
Practical Work: Study of the following specimens: bulb, corm, rhizome and stem tuber
A bulb of onion, a corm of colocacia or arvi, rhizome of ginger or canna lily, and stem tuber of potato. Hand lens and needle.
Carefully examine the external features of the above mentioned specimens. Draw labeled diagram of each specimen to show the external features and compare with the diagrams in figure 16.7.
1. Which features do they have in common?
2. What are the functions of the parts of each vegetative organ?
3. What are the features which show that the specimens are underground stems and not roots?