Vegetative propagation is a form if asexual reproduction in plants. Vegetative propagation is also known as vegetative reproduction, it is a process in which new plants are produced without the production of seeds or spores.

Most of the plants have the ability to reproduce sexually, there are also many plants which have the ability for vegetative reproduction or they can undergo vegetative propagation if small plant pieces are subjected to chemical treatments.

Vegetative propagation is process to increase the number of plants of a particular species. Propagation can be done by asexual methods by using the vegetative plant parts. Vegetative propagation allows plants to be created in such a way unlike the natural way. Vegetative propagation uses vegetative parts of plants to produce new plants like stems, leaves and roots. Naturally many plants can reproduce this way and it can be artificially induced.

The advantages and disadvantages of vegetative propagation are:

Advantages of Vegetative Propagation

• The main advantage of vegetative propagation is that the progeny plants contain the genetic material of only one parent.

• Clones of the parent plant are only produced.

• For example, if we have a plant of desirable traits, the same plant can be reproduced by vegetative propagation if the growing propagation remains similar.

• This technique is useful for commercial growers who want to produce only the plants with highest quality.

• Vegetative propagation can ensure the consistency of a plant variety or crop variety for sale.

• This process also helps to maintain consistent quality and taste of the products made from the plants or crops.

• For example, some tea plants like the Zealong's tea plantations, the new tea plants are made from the cutting using the older plants to ensure uniform consistency in the taste and quality of the tea.

• Vegetative propagation can save a lot of time and money for production of plants on a commercial scale.

• For example, for a tea plant to grow big enough from a cutting it takes 3-4 years to be ready for harvest and processing. Growing of the same plant from seed would take even longer.

Disadvantages of Vegetative Propagation

• Vegetative propagation has a potential impact on the biodiversity of a species.

• If a clone of a plant is susceptible to a certain disease, it is possible that the entire crops of the clone are susceptible to the same disease.

• Due to lack of genetic variation the plants may gradually lose their vigour.

• Plants are more prone to diseases that are specific to a certain species. This can cause destruction to the entire crop.