CBSE Class 10 Science 2017 · Paper 31/1/2/C · Question 10

Vegetative propagation is a method of asexual reproduction in plants in which new plants develop from vegetative parts of the parent plant, such as the root, stem or leaf, instead of from seeds (for example, the buds in the notches of a Bryophyllum leaf, or the eyes of a potato tuber). Advantages (any four): (1) Plants raised this way bear flowers and fruits earlier than those produced from seeds. (2) Plants that have lost the capacity to produce seeds, such as some varieties of banana, orange, rose and jasmine, can be propagated. (3) The new plants are genetically similar enough to the parent plant to have all its characteristics, so a desired variety is preserved. (4) Many plants can be raised quickly from one parent plant by layering, cutting or grafting, as is done for sugarcane, roses and grapes.