Question

What are potato seed buds called ?

Answer 1

Vegetative propagation is a form of asexual reproduction in plants. It is also known as cloning or vegetative multiplication. This process occurs with the help of specialized structures present in the plants that have the potential to give rise to new plantlets.

Complete answer:
The tuber in a potato is the swollen part of the underground stem. They can be either oval or round in shape. Upon maturation, a number of seed buds come up on the surface of the tuber. These buds are known as the ‘Eyes of potato’. They resemble sprouts which are green in colour. This part is also known as vegetative propagules, which are the units of vegetative reproduction, and has the ability to give rise to new plants. Within the bulb lies the central shoots of the upcoming plants. It is a method of natural reproduction in potatoes.

Note:
The process of vegetative reproduction involves several advantages. The offspring produced are exactly the same as that of the parent plant, and the favorable or good traits can be passed unchanged to the future generations. It is also a relatively simple process compared to its sexual analogs. While the disadvantage associated is the reduction in introducing genetic variations that can eventually lead to a reduction in the yield. The various other methods of vegetative reproduction are as follows: runners, suckers, corms, stolons etc. There are a number of artificial means to induce vegetative reproduction. They are suckering, grafting, layering, cutting and also tissue culture.