B5 - Asexual Reproduction in Plants

Asexual reproduction only requires DNA from one parent. It creates offspring that are genetically identical to the parent. Genetically identical offspring are called clones.

Clones lack genetic diversity. This makes them less able to fight disease. It also makes them less adaptable to changes in the environment.

There are different methods of asexual reproduction. They include vegetative propagation and fragmentation.

Vegetative propagation does not need seeds or spores. Instead, offspring grow from a part of the parent plant. In different plants, vegetative propagation happens in different ways. Here are a few examples.

• Garlic, onions and tulip plants all reproduce using true bulbs. These short underground stems are also called scaly bulbs. They have a base that is usually surrounded by modified leaves. These leaves form a papery covering called a tunic. New bulbs grow off of the parent bulb’s base.

• Crocuses reproduce using corms, which are similar to true bulbs. However, a corm doesn’t have as many layers. Corms are used up during the growing season and get replaced by one or more new corms.

• Potato plants reproduce using tubers. Tubers produce new plants from stems or growing points called eyes.

• Ginger plants reproduce using rhizomes. These are stems that grow sideways along the soil or just below the surface. They branch out to produce new points of growth.

• Strawberry plants reproduce using stolons. They look like branches growing along the ground. Stolons anchor themselves to the ground and develop roots. The roots grow into new plants.

Fragmentation is another form of asexual reproduction. It involves new plants growing from small parts of a parent plant that fall to the ground. This is one of the ways that plants like liverworts and mosses reproduce.

Horticulturists are people who study plants. They often use asexual reproduction through fragmentation to grow new plants. They do this by cutting a leaf or a stem off a plant and placing it in water or soil. This process is often called propagating from cuttings.