Grafting in Herbaceous Stems

By B. JOHN SYROCKI

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D emonstrate grafting in stems in three weeks?
Yes, this can be done, using herbaceous stems. This
article tells how biology students can set up success-
ful grafting demonstrations, using cherry tomato
plants. Compatible herbaceous plant tissues grow
together quickly, whereas grafting in woody stems
just takes too long.
Grafting as a method of plant propagation is an
important commercial practice. Woody plants have
been grafted by orchardists for many years. Graft-
ing in herbaceous stems can illustrate the fusion of
compatible tissues-a concept of great importance
to nurserymen, orchardists, and laboratory research-
ers. The quest is for increasing the number of plants
in a short time by using stem cuttings of grown
plants, locating and using vigorous rootstock, yield-
ing plants with greater resistance to disease, and
stimulating or retarding growth and development
in plants by using rootstocks of different plant
species.
Materials
You will need four or more cherry tomato seed-
lings or a package of seeds; a razor blade; trans-
parent tape; a stick to support the grafted plant; a
clay pot about 15 cm in diameter; and plastic pots,
if you are growing your own seedlings.
Plants can be grown easily from seeds, if they are Fig. 1. Two tomato plants removed from the plastic pots. Note
needed during the winter months; or you can pur- that the plants are of equal height and stem diameter.
chase seedlings, which in most places become avail-
able in May. It will take about eight weeks to grow Be sure that both main stems are of equal diameter
your own plants to the size recommended for this to permit alignment of vascular tissues (fig. 1).
experiment. Plants should be about 25 cm tall, with
a stem diameter of 0.5 cm. Avoid using full-grown Preparing the Stems
plants: their stems are knotted and difficult to cut. I tried several accepted wood-grafting techniques
532 THE AMERICANBIOLOGYTEACHER,DECEMBER1971
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Fig. 3. The scion plant (right) and the incised rootstock
plant (left).

Fig. 2. The rootstock plant is incised at a height of 10 cm.

in the classroom, but without consistent success.

These included the V-graft as well as the tongue
grafts. The most successful technique was a modi-
fication of the approach-graft technique suggested
by J. Weibe, of the Horticultural Experimental Sta-
tion, Vineland Station, Ontario, Canada.
The rootstock plant is cut about 10 cm above the
soil (fig. 2). Note that the rootstock plant is cut
only to the degree that will enable the other plant
to fit into the stem. Do not cut so far across the stem

B. John Syrocki is professor of biology,

State University of New York, College at
Brockport 14420, where he has taught for F 7
22 years; presently he is coordinator of
general botany and is much interested in
individualized instruction. He is an author
of the series "Science for a Changing
--
World" (1967: Benefic Press, Chicago); of
a book, Science Activitiea for Children
(1968: Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ.); and of
numerous articles and documentary science-books. He has
been a fellow of the American Association for the Advance-
ment of Science, a field reader for the curriculum and re-
search branches of the US. Office of Education, and science
consultant to Grade Teacher magazine. His research interests Fig. 4. Diagramshowingmethodof cutting stems for greatest
lie in plant anatomy and plant nutrition (hydroponics). supportof bothwhenthey are grafted.

STEMS 533
IN HERBACEOUS
GRAFTING
 ow,
Fig. 5. Rootstock plant (below) and scion plant (above) cut
to make one stem.
as to weaken the entire stem. The scion plant is cut
so that its stem can be fitted to the rootstock plant
to make close contact with the vascular tissues.
Notice the cut in the scion plant in fig. 3. This kind
of cut in the stems of both plants worked well, but
the plants were weakened for further handling. In
subsequent grafting, the stem of the rootstock and
of the scion plant was cut as shown in fig. 4.
Operations on the Scion
Insert the scion into the rootstock stem by slant-
ing both stems toward each other. Secure the scion
with transparent tape; three turns of tape is suffi-
cient. The graft can be seen through the tape as the
experiment continues.
Put both plants into the large clay pot, fill around
with soil, and pack the soil firmly. Insert the support
stick into the soil and secure the stems of both plants
to the stick. After two weeks there should be evi-
dence of fusion of the stems.
After three weeks, cut off the scion plant from
its parent stock. This cuts off the scion from its root
system. Now cut off the rootstock plant above the
534 THE AMERICANBIOLOGYTEACHER,DECEMBER1971
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Fig. 6. Matureplant resulting from the graft.
graft, thereby making the roots of this plant serve
the entire new growth, including the scion. Fig. 5
shows how this is accomplished. The tape may be
removed from the graft at this time.
Check to see that the stem is held to the stick in
the pot. It may be necessary to rearrange the at-
tachment of the final plant to the stick.
Discussion
The explanation of successful fusion of the tissues
of two plants lies in the compatibility of vascular
tissues. Several stem-cuttings of one plant may be
grafted to plant stems that have strong rootstocks
but may be inferior in vegetative and reproductive
capacity.
The second overlapping cut tends to bring more
vascular tissue into contact to insure stronger fusion.
This growth is effected in the same length of time
as the single-cut type. An additional advantage is
the stronger graft union: the plant is less likely to
break at the point of junction in further handling.
This experimental graft resulted in normal plant
growth. The plant flowered and produced fruit in
the usual abundance (fig. 6).