Which propagation technique is used to join a scion to a rootstock to form a grafted plant?

• A. Grafting
• B. Layering
• C. Cuttings
• D. Division

Answer: (A)

Grafting is the technique of joining a scion to a rootstock to form a grafted plant. The scion is a shoot or piece of a plant with the desired above-ground traits (like fruit type or appearance), while the rootstock provides the root system and often vigor or disease resistance. The two parts are joined so their cambium layers align and fuse, creating a single plant that carries characteristics from both partners.

This method is used to propagate cultivars that don’t root well from cuttings, to combine a desirable fruit or bloom with a hardy or size-controlling root system, or to improve disease resistance and adaptability.

Other methods don’t involve uniting two separate plants at the cambium. Layering grows roots on a part still attached to the parent, not by joining to a rootstock. Cuttings involve rooting a detached piece to form a new plant, with no graft union. Division simply splits an existing plant into multiple plants.