Information Slip
Shield
Budding
Shield Budding
Grafting is the production of an independent plant by uniting the plant fragment of a first
plant (scion) with the stock of another plant (rootstock). The latter plant provides the
rooting system of the grafted plant.
The rootstock maintains interaction between the scion, the rootstock and the soil. It must
be bushy and resistant to diseases. The scion and the rootstock must be plants of the
same biological family and of the same or neighbouring genus: for instance Citrus
simensis (orange) can be grafted on Citrus limon (lemon)
Grafting is one of the techniques of vegetative reproduction.
Vegetative reproduction is used for several reasons: it makes it possible to perpetuate
species that have difficulties in bearing fruits and whose seeds can not be easily obtained
to produce an identical plant to the parent plant.
Steps
1. preparation of the rootstock
• select a plant that has the diameter of a
pencil, that is, about 8 mm (picture 1)
• clear leaves and branches from the base up to a
length of 30 cm (picture 2)
• cut a horizontal incision of between 15 to 20 cm
above the collar, and then a vertical incision of 1 to
2 cm long such that you form the sign ‘
’ (figure 1).
Picture 1
• peel the bark from the side (picture 3)
2. Harvesting of shield bud
• choose a shoot that sprouted in the current year
(between 6 to 12 months);
• remove leaf blades taking care to leave the petioles.
The bud is held by the tip of the petiole.
3. grafting
• Hold the bud (figure 2) by the tip of the petiole and
insert it in the incision orienting the bud to face
skywards.
• Fasten the bud from bottom to top with a transparent
film leaving the bud exposed (picture 4)
Picture 2
Shield budding
Picture 3
Bud
Stem
Figure 2
Picture 4
Shield budding
4. Care of the grafted plants
• If after two weeks the bud remains green or begins to
develop, cut the rootstock above the ligature leaving a s rall
tip.
• Cover the cut part with mastic, beeswax or ash.
Collar
Precautions to be taken
• Undo the transparent fastening film from the opposite side
of the sucker when the latter has grown 7 leaves.
• Water, fertilise, weed and treat with a fungicide and an
insecticide.
• graft the buds immediately upon collection
• avoid accidental destruction of the plant with grafting materials
• the cut part must not be soiled
• secure the ligature well to ensure proper contact
• use sharp instruments and disinfect them with spirit or fire
• repeat the grafting operation if the bud dies (2 weeks after the
grafting)
• Keep the grafted plants under shade.
Grafting
materials
• Pruning shears
• Budding knife or well
sharpened knife
• whetstone or file
• fastening film or
“mbandjock” bag fibre.
Printed by Colorix 22 21 95 47
For more information contact :
World Agroforestry Centre-West and Central Africa
Regional Office P.O. Box 16317 Yaounde-Cameroun
Tel: (237) 22.21.50.84 / 22.23.75.60
Fax: (237) 22.21.50.89 / 22.23.74.40
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site : worldagroforestrycentre.org/aht