The invention relates to the grafting of perennial monocots such as bananas and oil palms. Processes for the production of such plants are disclosed herein.

The invention provides methods of inhibiting the growth of a shoot apical meristem of a cucurbit rootstock plant, comprising contacting a shoot apical meristem of the cucurbit rootstock plant with an effective amount of a composition comprising one or more fatty alcohols, thereby inhibiting the growth of the shoot apical meristem of the cucurbit rootstock plant. The present invention further provides methods for preparing and producing cucurbit rootstock plants for grafting and methods for grafting. Additionally provided are cucurbit rootstock plants and plant parts and grafted cucurbit plants produced by the methods of the invention.

A grafting apparatus includes plate-shaped grafting members each provided with, on a main surface on one side in a thickness direction thereof, at least one plant holder to hold a plant for grafting. The grafting apparatus includes a cutter and a joiner. The cutter is configured to cut a stem of the plant for grafting that is held by the at least one plant holder of each of the grafting members. The joiner is configured to mutually join at least parts of the grafting members, while the at least one plant holder holds a part of the plant for grafting that has been cut by the cutter, to thereby mutually join parts of the plants for grafting.

A grafting apparatus includes plate-shaped grafting members each provided with, on a main surface on one side in a thickness direction thereof, at least one plant holder to hold a plant for grafting. The grafting apparatus includes a cutter and a joiner. The cutter is configured to cut a stem of the plant for grafting that is held by the at least one plant holder of each of the grafting members. The joiner is configured to mutually join at least parts of the grafting members, while the at least one plant holder holds a part of the plant for grafting that has been cut by the cutter, to thereby mutually join parts of the plants for grafting.

A method for cultivating a Tung tree seedling through hypocotyle grafting includes selection of a sand storage time of a rootstock (Vernicia montana Lour.) seed, seedbed construction, scion collection, scion cutting, rootstock cutting, bandaging, transplantation and management, and the like. A grafted plant obtained by a traditional grafting method (bud grafting) for Tung tree is easy to break at a grafting interface; and when the stem grafting is conducted, because a scion is thick, a rootstock for grafting must be cultivated one year in advance. These grafting methods have production problems such as long cycle and high cost, which can be solved by the present disclosure. The present disclosure has a short rootstock cultivation time, simple grafting operations, a high grafting efficiency, and a high survival rate, greatly shortens a cycle of asexual propagation-based seedling cultivation for Tung tree.

A method for cultivating a Tung tree seedling through hypocotyle grafting includes selection of a sand storage time of a rootstock (Vernicia montana Lour.) seed, seedbed construction, scion collection, scion cutting, rootstock cutting, bandaging, transplantation and management, and the like. A grafted plant obtained by a traditional grafting method (bud grafting) for Tung tree is easy to break at a grafting interface; and when the stem grafting is conducted, because a scion is thick, a rootstock for grafting must be cultivated one year in advance. These grafting methods have production problems such as long cycle and high cost, which can be solved by the present disclosure. The present disclosure has a short rootstock cultivation time, simple grafting operations, a high grafting efficiency, and a high survival rate, greatly shortens a cycle of asexual propagation-based seedling cultivation for Tung tree.

A method and apparatus for a Phytoimmune system to manage diseases in fruit trees, in which concomitant in vitro micrografting is used with actively growing plant tissue to create Complex Architecture Plants capable of generating immune, resistance, or tolerance responses to specific targeted plant diseases, such as the bacterial disease Huanglongbing (HLB), also, known as Citrus Greening Disease, and the viral disease Plum Pox Virus (PPV), also known as Sharka disease.

A method and apparatus for a Phytoimmune system to manage diseases in fruit trees, in which concomitant in vitro micrografting is used with actively growing plant tissue to create Complex Architecture Plants capable of generating immune, resistance, or tolerance responses to specific targeted plant diseases, such as the bacterial disease Huanglongbing (HLB), also, known as Citrus Greening Disease, and the viral disease Plum Pox Virus (PPV), also known as Sharka disease.

Provided herein are methods for providing improved vigor, and especially priming or improving root formation, of plant cuttings and to plant cuttings obtained thereby. Specifically, the methods include the steps of a) contacting a plant cutting with a polymeric solution, or suspension, optionally including one or more plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compounds, thereby providing a coated plant cutting; b) allowing the polymeric solution, or suspension, of the coated plant cutting to solidify into a complexed coating, thereby providing an encapsulated plant cutting. The encapsulated plant cutting is coated with the complexed coating from the basal cut surface or tip of the plant cutting to less than 60% of the total length of said plant cutting to partially encapsulate the plant cutting with the complexed coating.

Provided herein are methods for providing improved vigor, and especially priming or improving root formation, of plant cuttings and to plant cuttings obtained thereby. Specifically, the methods include the steps of a) contacting a plant cutting with a polymeric solution, or suspension, optionally including one or more plant growth promoting and/or plant protecting compounds, thereby providing a coated plant cutting; b) allowing the polymeric solution, or suspension, of the coated plant cutting to solidify into a complexed coating, thereby providing an encapsulated plant cutting. The encapsulated plant cutting is coated with the complexed coating from the basal cut surface or tip of the plant cutting to less than 60% of the total length of said plant cutting to partially encapsulate the plant cutting with the complexed coating.