Vegetative Propagation - UNSOLVED PRACTICE SET
Chapter: Reproduction in Organisms | Topic: Vegetative Propagation
VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION - UNSOLVED PRACTICE SET
Topic: Vegetative Propagation
Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. Vegetative propagation is a type of:
- Sexual reproduction involving seeds
- Asexual reproduction in plants where new individuals arise from vegetative parts like stems, roots, or leaves
- Reproduction involving fusion of gametes
- Reproduction found only in animals
Q2. Which of the following is an example of natural vegetative propagation by roots
- Potato tuber
- Sweet potato and Dahlia
- Bryophyllum leaf
- Onion bulb
Q3. The eyes of a potato tuber are actually:
- Seeds inside the potato
- Buds that can sprout to produce new potato plants
- Insect holes
- Storage organs for water
Q4. In grafting, the portion of the plant that provides the root system is called the:
- Scion
- Stock
- Bud
- Callus
Q5. Tissue culture or micropropagation is a modern method of vegetative propagation that involves:
- Growing whole plants from small pieces of tissue (explants) in sterile nutrient medium under controlled conditions
- Planting seeds in soil
- Cross-pollinating two different plants
- Grafting two unrelated species
Short Answer Questions
Q6. What is vegetative propagation? Differentiate between natural and artificial vegetative propagation with one example of each.
Q7. Explain how Bryophyllum reproduces vegetatively through its leaves. Why is this considered an adaptation for survival in dry conditions?
Q8. What is grafting? Why is it commonly used in horticulture for propagating mango, rose, and citrus plants rather than growing them from seeds?
Q9. A farmer wants to grow a large number of banana plants that are genetically identical to a prize-winning banana tree. Should he use seeds or tissue culture? Justify your answer.
Long Answer Questions
Q10. Explain vegetative propagation in plants. Describe natural methods (runners in strawberry, tubers in potato, bulbs in onion, rhizomes in ginger, buds in Bryophyllum) and artificial methods (cutting, layering, grafting, and tissue culture). Why is vegetative propagation commercially important in agriculture and horticulture?
Q11. "Tissue culture is revolutionising plant propagation, but it also raises concerns." Discuss this statement by explaining: the process of micropropagation (explant → callus → shoot and root formation → plantlet), its advantages (rapid multiplication, disease-free plants, conservation of endangered species), and the concerns (high cost, requirement of sterile conditions, genetic uniformity making crops vulnerable, and patent issues with multinational companies).
APPLICATION / ANALYSIS
Q12. Case Study — Mango Orchard Development:
A horticulturist in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra wants to establish a Dasheri mango orchard:
| Method | Cost per plant | Time to fruiting | Genetic uniformity | Disease resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed propagation | Rs 10 | 8-10 years | Low (high variation) | Variable |
| Grafting on local rootstock | Rs 50 | 3-4 years | High (identical to scion) | Depends on rootstock |
| Tissue culture | Rs 100 | 3-4 years | Very high (clones) | Needs testing |
Answer the following:
(a) Why does seed propagation take 8-10 years to fruit while grafting takes only 3-4 years? Explain the biological reason.
(b) If the horticulturist wants 500 identical high-quality Dasheri mango trees, which method should he choose? Calculate the total cost and justify your choice.
(c) What is the advantage of grafting Dasheri mango onto a local wild mango rootstock rather than growing Dasheri from its own roots?
Q13. Real-Life Application — School Garden Project:
Your school biology club wants to create a garden with these plants:
- Mint (for the herbal garden)
- Rose (for the flower bed)
- Potato (for the vegetable patch)
- Money plant (for classroom decoration)
The club has:
- A small greenhouse
- Basic gardening tools
- No budget for buying new plants
Answer the following:
(a) For each plant, identify which vegetative part can be used for propagation and describe the simplest method.
(b) The biology teacher suggests using tissue culture for the rose plants. Why might this be unnecessary for a school project? When would tissue culture become essential?
(c) If you take a cutting from a money plant and place it in water, roots appear within a week. What hormone is naturally involved in this root formation, and how do commercial nurseries use this knowledge?