Budding Method of Plant Propagation

In grafting, the scion is a detached piece of shoot or stem with several buds. But in budding, scion consists of only one bud and small portion of wood. Thus, budding is a form of grafting and often called as bud grafting.

Advantages of Budding

• Quick and efficient method of propagation as compared to grafting.
• Best propagation method if propagating material is scarce.
• Budding is useful in plants release excessive wound gum (stone fruit) from injury carried to xylem or wood portion of stem at the time of grafting.
• Budding results into stronger union compared to grafting thus injury to the budded plants due to storms and strong wind is less.
• It is comparatively simple method of plant propagation than grafting and can be done by common peoples.

Types of Budding

1-Shield or T budding

As the name indicates shield is the shape of the bud and T is the shape of cut given on the rootstock for the budding operation. It is the most common method of budding practiced by nurserymen throughout the world. For T budding, one year old rootstock seedling of 25-35 cm height and 2-2.5 cm thickness is selected which is in actively growing stage, so that the bark will separate readily from the wood. In this budding, 1st a vertical cut (2.5 cm length) to be made on the stock at 0.-2.5 cm above the soil level. Then the horizontal crosscut to be made at the top of the vertical cut to give T shape. As the horizontal cut is made, the knife is given a twist to open the flaps of bark for the insertion of the bud. Thereafter, scion bud is prepared by removing the bark shield with a bud. For this, an upward slicing cut is started at the point on the stem at 12-13 mm below the bud, continuing under the bud to an about 2.5 cm above. The shield piece should be thin, thick enough to have some rigidity. A 2nd cut is then made at the upper portion of the 1st cut which permitting the removal of the shield piece. After removal of the scion bud, it should be inserted into the T cut on the stock by pushing the shield downward under the two raised flaps of bark until its upper horizontal cut is matches the same cut on the stock. Then wrapping of the bud union must be done using budding tape. Eg. Apple, pear, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, rose and citrus are propagated by this method.

2-Inverted T budding

In area that experiencing high rainfall during budding season, water running down the stem of the rootstock may enter the T-cut, soak under the bark of the stock and prevent into the shield piece from healing into place. In such condition, inverted T budding gives better results, since excess water is shed. For this, rootstock has the transverse /horizontal cut at the bottom rather than at the top of vertical cut. In removing the shield piece from the bud stick, the cut on bud stick should start above the bud and continuing downward below it. Then insertion of shield into rootstock should be done from lower part to upward direction. It is usually practiced in citrus.

3-Patch budding

Widely successful in thick barked species such as walnut, pecan nut. In patch budding, bark of both stock and scion requires to slip easily. A special knife called double bladed knife is used in this budding technique which makes two transverse parallel cut 2.5-3.5 cm apart through the bark to the wood in a smooth area of the rootstock about 10 cm above the ground. Then two transverse cuts are connected at each side by vertical cuts made with a single bladed knife. The patch of bark containing a bud is cut from the budstick in the same manner as of rootstock. The size of the bark removed from the budstick should be same as of size of the bark removed from the rootstock. After the removal of bud patch from the budstick, it must be inserted immediately on the already prepared rootstock. The inserted patch is now ready to be wrapped.

4- I -Budding

In this budding, two parallel cuts are made on the rootstock using the same parallel double bladed knife, used in patch budding. These two transverse cuts are then joined at their centres by a single vertical cut to produce the shape of the letter ‘I’. The two flaps of bark can then be raised to insert the bud patch beneath them. A better fit may occurs if the side edges of the bud patch are slanted. It is mainly practiced in ber.

5-Ring budding

In ring budding, a complete ring of bark is removed from the stick and it is completely girdled. A similar ring of bark containing a bud is removed from the bud stick and it is inserted on to the rootstock. In ring budding, both stock and scion should be of same size. However, it is applicable in stocks having thickness below 2 cm. It has been utilized in ber, peach, mulberry because the newly emerged shoots from the heavily pruned plants are capable of giving such buds for budding, which can easily be separated. In this method, since the stock is completely girdled and if the bud fails to heal in, the stock above the ring may eventually die.

6-Flute budding

In flute budding, the bark patch from the stock is removed in such a way that it must completely encircles the stock except with a narrow bark connection between the upper and lower cuts on the stock. A similar patch of bark is removed from budstick containing a healthy bud. The shield containing the bark is then inserted in the vacant area in the stock. After fitting it properly and tightly on the stock, it should be wrapped with suitable wrapping material, leaving the bud uncovered. Because of the presence of narrow connecting strip of bark on the stock, it remains alive even if the bud fails to sprout. It is mainly practiced in ber, mulberry, peach etc.

7-Chip budding

It is a successful method of budding when the bark of the rootstock does not slip easily and plants are not in actively growing condition. In this technique, a chip of bark is removed from a smooth place between nodes near the base of the rootstock and replaced by another chip of the same size and shape from the budstick, which contains a bud of the desired cultivars. The chip in both budstick and rootstock are cut out in the same manner. In the budstick, the 1st cut is made just below the bud and down into the wood at an angle of 30-45 degree. The 2nd cut is started about 25 mm above the bud and goes inward and downward behind the bud until it intersects the 1st cut. The chip is removed from the stock in the same manner and replaced by the one from budstick. After proper fitting of bud piece on the stock wrapping should be done properly with suitable wrapping material, leaving the bud uncovered. Mainly followed in grape, apple and pear.