Question

The softwood grafting

Statement (I): Is done with mature, procured scion on the emerging soft, coppery-red shoot of the rootstock, which is 60-70 days old.

Statement (II): Is used for raising desired varieties of mango, sapota, tamarind and cashew.

In light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below.

• A. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are correct.
• B. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are incorrect.
• C. Statement (I) is correct but Statement (II) is incorrect.
• D. Statement (I) is incorrect but Statement (II) is correct.

Hint:

Recall the age and colour of rootstock shoot used, and which fruit crops use softwood grafting.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Softwood grafting works because the rootstock shoot is still soft and actively growing, so its cambium tissue joins easily with the scion. Nurseries pick a shoot that is 60 to 70 days old, soft in texture and coppery red in colour for this reason, which matches Statement (I). This grafting method was developed for mango but has since been adopted for other fruit crops including sapota, tamarind and cashew to multiply superior varieties true to type, which matches Statement (II). Since neither statement contains an error, \[\boxed{\text{Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are correct}}\]