Asexual Reproduction

Look at yourself. You possess traits passed down to you by both your mother and your father. Isn’t it? But yet, you don’t entirely look identical to either of them. However, there are some organisms that look identical to their parents, like an amoeba. This is ‘Asexual Reproduction’. So, what is asexual reproduction? Let us scroll down to know more!

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What is Reproduction?

Production of new individuals from parents is known as reproduction. Reproduction is an essential process as it leads to the continuation of species as well as to maintain the continuity of life.

Browse more Topics under Reproduction In Plants

• Sexual reproduction
• Vegetative Propogation

Modes of Reproduction

• Sexual Reproduction: Reproduction which occurs when two parents are involved to give rise to a new individual is the sexual reproduction.
• Asexual Reproduction: The type of reproduction which involves simple division of the organism and involvement of only one parent is asexual reproduction.

In this topic, we will mainly deal with asexual reproduction. There are various methods of asexual reproduction in plants which are given below –

• Vegetative Propagation
• Budding
• Fragmentation
• Spore formation 
• Tissue culture or micropropagation

What is Asexual Reproduction and Its Methods?

1. Vegetative propagation

It is a type of asexual reproduction in which new plants are produced from the vegetative parts of the parent plant. Parts like root, stem and leaves are called vegetative part of a plant.

2. Budding

Some organisms like yeast grow small outgrowth from their body. This outgrowth is a bud. The nucleus of the parent divides. One of the nuclei moves into the bud. The newly formed bud either detaches from the parent or start producing another bud.

3. Fragmentation

Certain plants having simple body design may break or fragment into different parts. Each part now grows into a new individual. For example, Spirogyra.

4. Spore Formation

Spores are minute tiny structures on special fruiting bodies calls sporangium. These spores can blow off to far off places by air. They germinate whenever they get the favourable conditions and form the new individuals. For example, bread mould, mushroom.

5. Tissue Culture or Micropropagation

In this method, a small piece of tissue (explant) is cut from the growing tip of another plant. It is kept in the nutrient medium in the controllable conditions in the laboratory. The cells of the tissue divide rapidly and form an organised mass of cells called callus.

Callus transfers into another nutrient medium that helps in the differentiation of the plant and formation of different parts, like root stem and leaves. After the particular period of growth, the plantlets transport to the field. Many plants like asparagus, Chrysanthemum, orchids etc grow by this method.

Advantages of Asexual Reproduction

• It produces two offsprings which are the exact copies of the parents.
• A large number of individuals can be produced in a very small time.
• Plants that grow vegetatively need less attention at early stages then the plants grown by seeds.
• Many seedless varieties like grapes, pineapple, Dahlia, bananas etc grow only through the vegetative method.

Solved Question For You

Q. When you keep food items like bread and fruits outside for a long time especially during the rainy season, you will observe a cottony growth on them.

• What is this growth called?
• How does the growth take place?

Solution: The growth is called fungus (bread mould). The growth takes place by spores. Spores are minute structures which spread through the air and can grow whenever they get favourable conditions.