Journal d'horticulture
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Micrografting of Fruit Crops-A Review

Rehman HU and Gill MIS

Micrografting was developed in 1980s and consists of the placement in aseptic conditions of a maintained scion onto an in vitro grown rootstock. The results of in vitro micrografting and the plant material derived from it can be further multiplied in tissue culture conditions or acclimatized to outdoor conditions. Micrografting is a technique that potentially can combine the advantages of rapid in vitro multiplication with increased productivity that results from grafting, superior rootstock and scion combinations. Among various methods of micrografting, slit or wedge grafting has been found most suitable in case of fruit crops. In vitro shoot tips are better as compared to in vivo shoot tips for carrying out micrografting resulting in higher graft success, less contamination, less vitrification, lower shoot tip necrosis and good vigour of micrografts. Media used for growing micrografted plantlets also affects grafting success, vitrification, contamination and vigour. Use of appropriate medium depends on genotype and growing conditions. Modification of basal medium formulation has been an effective means for achieving good graft success. The sucrose concentration of the nutrient medium of grafted plants has been found to play a significant role. Besides these, scion length and rootstock development stage also influences graft success, vitrification, shoot tip necrosis, vigour and contamination. The use of pre-treated shoot apices not only markedly increases the grafting success but also overcome problems encountered during the handling of in vitro micrografting that results in browning and drying of apices.