4 Propagation Most tropical fruit trees are still propagated from seed, especially in home gardens. In fruit growing, vegetative propagation opens the way for a breakthrough in productivity and efficiency so that production for the market becomes more attractive. | 4 Propagation Most tropical fruit trees are still propagated from seed especially in home gardens. In fruit growing vegetative propagation opens the way for a breakthrough in productivity and efficiency so that production for the market becomes more attractive. Seedlings or clonal plants Sexual reproduction leads to SEEDLING VARIATION although all seedlings resemble the mother tree in some respects no two seedlings are the same. Differences between the seedlings will of course become even larger if they are grown under different conditions. In vegetative propagation a part of the mother tree other than the seed . a cutting becomes a new plant. The genetic make-up of this new plant is exactly the same as that of the mother tree. Consequently all cuttings from one mother tree are identical they have the same characteristics. The mother tree together with the cuttings is called a CLONE. Differences between plants of a clone can only be caused by different growing conditions. A clone is a cultivar short for cultivated variety and can be named. This is a great advantage in marketing. Fruit quality is variable and in many cases hard to judge when purchased. So it is a great leap forward if a Fuerte avocado can be sold instead of just an avocado. Seedlings are juvenile they are unable to flower until they become mature. A seedling inevitably grows into a sizable tree before it can bear fruit. This commonly takes 3 to 10 years depending on the species. If cuttings are taken from a mature tree the new plant however small is mature and may flower even in the nursery. This is the principal difference between a seedling and a cloned tree. Early bearing siphons energy into fruit growth that would otherwise Propagation 35 have been used for shoot growth and production of wood. So clonal trees remain smaller and can be planted close together. More trees per ha means further increases in the early crops Taking the cuttings from a high-yielding mother tree also contributes .
