What are the advantages of marcotting propagation?

Marcotting propagation, or air layering, is a vegetative method of propagation that involves rooting aerial stems that are attached to the parent plant. There are a number of advantages of marcotting propagation that make it favoured over other vegetative methods. These advantages include:

• Larger plants, particularly those that are readily mature, can be produced in a much quicker time.
• The process of marcotting is one that is reasonably easy to carry out. If the method is being used for a small number of plants, it can produce more layers without much effort, equipment or skill.
• Air layering plants ensures a much higher rate of rooting success. This is particularly useful when there are clones involved as these typically do not root easily.

While marcotting propagation is typically seen as an advantageous system, it does have its disadvantages. These include:

• Only a small number of the layers can actually be produced from a parent plant.
• In order to produce a vast amount of layers, a wide area is required to first produce the stock plants.
• The bigger layers involved in air layering require some special care to ensure that they can be established independently.

The process of marcotting propagation includes carious stem treatments that lead to the formation of adventitious roots. These stem treatments involve the wounding or girdling of a part of the stem, which, in turn, causes interruption on the downward movements of organic materials. These materials, such as auxin and carbohydrates, accumulate close to the treated areas and the rooting follows. The formation of roots on layers is affected by sufficient aeration, moderate temperatures and continuous moisture in the rotting zone. Much evidence suggests that rooting occurs more frequently and more successfully in rainy season rather than the hot and dry season.