Which statement best describes grafting onto a rootstock?

Which statement best describes grafting onto a rootstock?

• A. It is used to prune roots
• B. It is used to propagate a named cultivar onto a rootstock
• C. It is used to increase soil fertility
• D. It is used to promote seed production

Answer: (B)

Grafting onto a rootstock is a method of asexual propagation where a scion from a named cultivar is joined to the root system of another plant. This creates a plant that is genetically identical to the cultivar while gaining the rootstock’s root system, allowing the grower to combine desirable fruit or flower traits with rootstock advantages like disease resistance, vigor control, or better adaptability. Because grafting reproduces the cultivar without seeds, it’s used to propagate a named cultivar onto a rootstock. Pruning roots, increasing soil fertility, and promoting seed production are not accomplished by grafting in this way, as grafting aims to clone the cultivar rather than modify soil or promote seed-based growth.

Grafting onto a rootstock is a method of asexual propagation where a scion from a named cultivar is joined to the root system of another plant. This creates a plant that is genetically identical to the cultivar while gaining the rootstock’s root system, allowing the grower to combine desirable fruit or flower traits with rootstock advantages like disease resistance, vigor control, or better adaptability. Because grafting reproduces the cultivar without seeds, it’s used to propagate a named cultivar onto a rootstock. Pruning roots, increasing soil fertility, and promoting seed production are not accomplished by grafting in this way, as grafting aims to clone the cultivar rather than modify soil or promote seed-based growth.