Republic of the Philippines

ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY

Jones Campus

AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT

AGRI 213
LABORATORY ACTIVITY NO.3
PLANTING MATERIAL SELECTION AND PREPARATION

I. Introduction

The productivity of a certain crop would depend largely on the choice of planting
materials that a farmer/raiser will use. The choice of planting materials will, in a way,
determine the yield in the agricultural venture. This will also ensure profit especially if
the crop is grown for market. So, proper selection and preparation of planting should be
practiced.
Asexual plant propagation involves reproduction from the vegetative parts of a
plant like the roots, stems or leaves to increase the number of plants of the same kind
or a plant which is genetically identical to the parent plant. This is possible because the
vegetative organs of many plants have the capacity for regeneration, a phenomenon
known as totipotency.
Stem cuttings for example have the ability to form adventitious roots. Root
cuttings can regenerate into a new shoot system while leaf cuttings can regenerate new
shoot and new roots. There are several advantages of propagating plants asexually. It
may be the easiest and fastest way to propagate some species of plants. In addition, it
may be the only way to perpetuate some cultivars because some plants produce
seedless fruit, or fruits with seeds that do not germinate, or take a long time to
germinate, like banana, pineapple, siniguelas, and some varieties of atis and grapes.
Vegetative propagation shortens the juvenile period resulting in earlier productivity as in
fruit crops. Dwarfing effects, resistance to certain pests and diseases, and better
adaptability to a given soil can also be attained by asexual propagation, particularly
grafting.
Asexual or vegetative methods of propagation include separation and division,
cuttage, layerage and graftage.

II. Objectives
1. Classify suitable planting materials for different crops.
2. Perform different sexual and asexual propagation methods

III. Materials
Soil media (1:1:1 ratio of CRH, garden soil, animal manure), polyethylene plastic,
different vegetative planting materials, knife, ballpen, record book, camera
IV. Procedures:
A. Separation and Division
Separation is a vegetative propagation method utilizing the naturally detachable
parts of the plants such as corms and bulbs. Division is a vegetative propagation
method where specialized or modified stems and roots are cut into sections having a
bud or eye.

Among the specialized organs are bulbs, bulblets, corms, tubers, tuberous roots,
rhizomes, runners, offsets, suckers and crowns.

1. Bring to the class as many specimen or specialized organs as possible.

2. Examine each specimen by separation or specialized vegetative structure, identify,
and state if it is used in propagation by separation or division.
3. Write your answer in Table 1.

Table 1. Separation and Division

Specimen Specialized Type of Vegetative Propagation
Organ (Separation/Division)
Onion Bulb Separation
Garlic Bulblet Separation
Ginger Rhizome Division

B1. Stem Cutting: Propagate any of the following plants (Hibiscus, Bougainvillea,
chrysanthemum, macanzania)

1. Select a healthy vegetative dicum (non-flowering) shoot of a plant.

2. Cut stem tips 10-15 cm using a sharp knife either just below or just above a node.
3. Remove the lower leaf or leaves from the nodes covered by the rooting medium.
4. Insert the base end of the cuttings into the rooting medium is very loose so that at
least one node is covered.
5. Firm soil medium around cuttings if the medium is away from the rooting medium.
6. Moisten medium slowly without washing it away from the very loose cuttings until
water runs out the bottom of the medium.
7. Check the cuttings for root development. This is done by gently lifting (no pulling)
each cutting out of the rooting medium and lifting the cutting up using a wooden stake or
knife under the base of the cutting. This is done by inserting a wooden stake or knife
under the base of the cutting.

B2. Root Cutting:

1. Prepare 5 root cuttings in either of the following: guava, breadfruit (rimas) Roots
having 0.25 - 0.50 cm in diameter are best.
2. Cut the roots into 10 cm long sections.
3. Plant the cuttings horizontally with the upper portion just below the surface of the soil
or medium.
4. Observe for the formation of shoots.
B3. Leaf-Section Cutting:
1. Prepare 5 cm section cuttings of snake plant (Sansevieria sp) that are 10 cm long.
2. Insert 2-3 leaf section base of each cutting in a rooting medium.
3. Firm medium around cuttings and moisten it.
4. Observe and record when shoot appear or new plant form.

B4. Leaf-petiole or whole-leaf cutting

1. Get 5 medium-sized leaves of begonia, peperomia or episcia with petioles about 2.5
cm long.
2. Insert leaves in rooting medium enough to cover petioles.
3. Firm medium around cuttings and moisten it.
4. Observe and record when shoots appear or new plants form.

C. Layering
Layerage or layering is a propagation method by which adventitious roots are induced
to form on a stem/branch or twig while it is still attached to the parent plant. Rooting is
usually facilitated by removing a ring of bark, which affects the movement and
accumulation of carbohydrates and auxins to stimulate root initiation. The different
methods of layering are simple layering, tip layering, compound layering, mound or stool
layering and marcotting or air layering.

Procedures:
1. Select the stem to be marcoted. Choose an upright branch, which is mature but still
actively growing. Do not use very young or very old stems.
2. With a sharp knife, remove a ring of bark twice wider than the diameter of the branch
and about 30 to 45 cm from its tip.
3. Gently scrape the exposed wood to remove the thin slimy layer (cambium)
completely to prevent the formation of a new bark.
4. Wrap the debarked portion with the ball of moist soil, sawdust or sphagnum moss.
5. The amount of medium depends on the size of the stem but should support the water
requirement and root formation of the marcot.
6. Hold the rooting medium in plastic sheet or coconut husk. Tie both ends of the plastic
sheet with string. This keeps the moisture needed for root formation and development.
7. Examine the marcot regularly and watch for the appearance of roots. When enough
roots have been formed, cut the marcot from the mother plant just below the root ball.
8. Plant the marcoted stem in a plot or polyethylene plastic bag containing suitable soil
mixture of 1 part garden soil, 1 part rice hull, and 1 part compost.

D. Graftage
Graftage is the general term used for propagation methods whereby two plant parts are
joined in such a manner that they will unite and continue their growth as one plant. The
upper part of the combination is called scion and the lower part is called the rootstock or
simply stock. If the scion is the stem, whether it is detached or still attached to the
mother plant, the method is called grafting. If the scion is a bud with a small section of
bark, with or without wood, the method is called budding.

D.1. Cleft Grafting

1. Each student will bring his/her own source of stock, preferably seedling of mango.
The stock should be pencil size at the point of union.
2. Select a scion stem with the same diameter as the stock from a specific fruit-bearing
mango tree. Remove all the leaves of the scion.
3. With a sharp knife or grafting knife, cut the rootstock to a height where there is active
growth or where the bark is easily separated from the wood.
4. Split the rootstock at the center deep enough to hold the scion and insert the wedge
about 2 to 3 cm long.
5. Cut the scion to a length of 15 to 25 cm. Shape its base into a smooth gradually
tapering wedge about 2 to 3 cm long.
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,
which is sealed at the base.
7. Loosen the plastic strip as soon as new shoots start to develop from the scion.
8. 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 shoot are already mature.

D.2. Shield or T-Budding

1. Select a healthy plant with suitable budding materials from a good variety that has
recently flowered or produced prolific fruits.
2. Cut off a vigorous stem. Remove the leaves and thorns of the stem or budding stocks
but retain part of the leaf stalk just below the bud.
3. Make a shallow cut into the stem on the stem. Lift the bud off once the knife is past it.
The shield-shaped scion consisting of the bud and a section of the bark may or may not
have a thin part of the wood.
4. Make an inverted T-shaped cut on the bark of the stock about 15 cm long. Loosen
the two flaps of bark.
5. Insert the bud shield with the cut surface facing the wood with the bud exposed.
6. Wrap the bud shield and rootstock with plastic strip firmly to hold them together. If the
bud protrudes prominently as in avocado, do not cover the bud. If the bud does not
protrude prominently as in calamansi, cover the bud with the wrapping materials.
7. Remove the wrapping material about 10-14 days after budding to prevent constriction
at the bud union as the plant grows.
8. Cut the tip of the rootstocks above the union has occurred and the attached bud has
resumed growth.

V. Results/Documentation
Propagation Plant Species Number of Range of days Days of root
Method Samples to Root emergence
Emergence
Separation & Onion 3 9-13 11
Division
Ginger 2 18-20 19
Garlic 3 11-15 13
Stem Cutting Bougainvillea 3 23-39 26
Cassava 2 30-34 32
 Miracle fruit 3 25-29 27
Root Cutting Guava 3 33-39 36
Taro 2 20-22 21
Black Pepper 3 38-44 41
Leaf Section Snake Plant 3 14-18 16
Cutting
Leaf Petiole/ Snake Plant 3 20-22 21
whole leaf
Dragon Fruit 3 29-33 31
Layering Calamansi 1 43-49 46
Marcot Calamansi 2 40-44 42
Cleft Grafting Tomato & 1 18-24 21
eggplant
Shield/T- Calamansi 1 58-56 62
Budding

Document the progress of your activity. Label the photos properly.

Figure 1. Weighing of ingredients Figure 2. Mixing mixture 1

Figure 3. Mixing mixture 2 molasses and Figure 4. Mixing mixture 1, mixture 2 and
palm oil leaf meals
 Figure 5. Palletizing feeds Figure 6. Finish Product

VI. Conclusion