What is Budding?

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Budding

Budding is a type of asexual reproduction wherein one organism reproduces another from a single cell division. The offspring is generally identical to the source and is not separated from the parent organism.

Budding in plants is also known as vegetative propagation or grafting. It is a common method used by gardeners or botanists to reproduce a certain family of plant. Like grafting, budding can be done by ordinary individuals in three easy steps. First, one has to prepare a budstick. A budstick is a twig or stem at about one-half inch diameter. Next, a “T” shaped notch has to be carved on the stem. Once the bud is taken from the scion, it should be inserted to the cut and bandaged. This allows the bud to grow from the stem. The wrap has to be opened for about 15 days until roots would start to develop. Adding fertilizer to the main plant and constant watering will help it grow.

The products of budding are normally shorter compared to those planted normally. However, what is advantageous in this method is that it can reproduce clones from a single piece of twig.

Budding is commonly done during fertile seasons but some species are budded during winter. Almost all ornamental plants and fruit-bearing trees can be budded such as cacti and mangoes.

Budding can also happen in multicellular animals such as corals and sponges. Since corals and sponges are metazoans, they can reproduce on their own by growing out from a fully developed polyp. In this process, the young polyps separated from the old ones and form new genetic copies. The newly reproduced clones from asexual reproduction would exactly have the same genes and DNA structure as their parent organism. Another example is cellular budding which happens in yeast. When yeast particles subdivide, they produce a smaller daughter known as Saccharomyces cerevisia.

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