Plant propagation

Plant propagation is the process by which new plants grow from various sources, including seeds, cuttings, and other plant parts. Plant propagation can refer to both man-made or natural dispersal of seeds.

Propagation typically occurs as a step in the overall cycle of plant growth. For seeds, it happens after ripening and dispersal; for vegetative parts, it happens after detachment or pruning; for asexually-reproducing plants, such as strawberry, it happens as the new plant develops from existing parts.^[1] Plant propagation can be divided into four basic types: sexual, asexual (vegetative), layering, and grafting.

Countless plants are propagated each day in horticulture and agriculture.

The use of plant propagation has become increasingly popular for medical plant breeding in traditional and herbal medicine^[2] and is vital to food production.^[3]