Also, these methods give the plant a certain characteristic of the rootstock - for example, hardiness, drought tolerance, or disease resistance. These methods of plant reproduction are usually chosen because cuttings from the desired plant root poorly (or not at all). Since grafting and budding are asexual or vegetative methods of propagation, the new plant that grows from the scion or bud will be exactly like the plant it came from. As early as 2,000 years ago, people recognized the incompatibility problems that may occur when grafting olives and other fruiting trees. The practice of grafting can be traced back 4,000 years to ancient China and Mesopotamia. In the budding process, a bud is taken from one plant and grown on another.Īlthough budding is considered a modern art and science, grafting is not new. In grafting, the upper part (scion) of one plant grows on the root system (rootstock) of another plant. Grafting and budding are horticultural techniques used to join parts from two or more plants so that they appear to grow as a single plant.
