 Asexual reproduction is
the formation of new
individuals from the
cell(s) of a single parent
 It is very common in
plants; less so in animals
Important points about asexual reproduction in plant
 Asexual reproduction in seed plants is common
 Asexual plant reproduction requires only one organism
 The new plants have the same genetic structure as the
parents
 Seed plants use different methods of asexual reproduction
 Asexual reproduction is not as complex and requires far
less energy
 Organisms that are genetically identical to their parent are
known as clones
 Rhizomes
 Tubers
 Runners
 Cuttings
 Bulbs
 Corms
 Cell Culture
 Tissue Culture
 Plants such as the grasses,
cattails and sedges produce
underground stems or
rhizomes
 Buds produced at the
nodes develop into
branches that stay
underground or develop
into aerial shoots
 If the rhizomes
subsequently dies, a new
separate plant will have
been formed
 Tubers are actually
modified rhizomes
 They develop when
specialized stem
branches grow down into
the ground and swell up
with starch containing
cells
 Buds of the tubers will
grow into new plants
 These are horizontally
growing stems that
produce few, if any,
leaves
 The stems, called
runners, creep along the
ground
 The runners can be cut
from the parent plant
and new plants will grow
 Cuttings involve
vegetative plants that
have been removed and
rooted in soil or other
suitable material
 Cuttings are made from
stems, roots or leaves
 A cutting or piece of
carrot root can develop
into a new carrot if
placed over a container
of water
 Onions, chives and lillies
winter in the form of a
bulb
 Each bulb has a very
short stem which is
surrounded by fleshy
leaves
 In the spring, the shoot
apex begins to grow
using the nutrients
stored in the leaves
 This structure is similar
to bulbs except that there
are no storage leaves
 The nutrients are,
instead, stored in the
swollen stem
 Sometimes just one cell
can regenerate into an
entire plant
 One cell from a carrot
taproot is put into a tube of
water with plant nutrients,
the one cell divides and
forms a bunch of cells
under special conditions,
roots and leaves develop,
the small carrot plant
grows into a carrot
identical to the carrot from
which the one cell came
 Engineered cells of some
plants can readily be used to
regenerate entire plants under
sterile conditions
 Tissue culture works when
the cell culture returns to an
undifferentiated state
 The process involves placing
the engineered cells in an
environment with special
hormones and nutrients that
encourage cell growth
 Eventually the tissue culture
forms leaves and roots and
finally an entire plant