• Last week we covered pollination and fertilisation to create seeds. This is called sexual reproduction, but some plants can reproduce in other ways • Asexual reproduction only involves one parent plant, and does not need sex cells. This means they will not need to undergo pollination or produce seeds • New plants made through asexual reproduction are all exactly the same Asexual reproduction • Strawberries reproduce asexually • They send out runners over the ground • These runners sprout roots at various intervals and new plants grow • Once the plants are established, the runners die and rot away Asexual reproduction Parent plant New offspring Runners Asexual reproduction • Potatoes use tubers to reproduce • They send out underground stems that swell out at the end into tubers • These are young potatoes and contain stores of food (starch) • Each tuber can then grow into an entire new plant Asexual reproduction Parent plant Young tubers Stems growing underground Asexual reproduction • Instead of tubers, some plants produce bulbs instead • For example an onion will create bulbs towards the end of the season • These can be left in the ground to grow a new plant next year Asexual reproduction • Gardeners use asexual reproduction to create new plants that are identical to the parent plants • They cannot create new varieties this way • But they can produce required plants much quicker than growing them from seeds produced in sexual reproduction Asexual reproduction • The most common way for gardeners to create new plants asexually is by taking cuttings and growing them • These cuttings will develop their own roots and grow into an identical new plant What are the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction in plants? Do you know, or can you investigate, any other plants that reproduce in this way? Carry out your own investigation and keep a plant diary of what you find: - Try keeping an onion or a potato in the cupboard past its use by date. What do you notice happening? - Try planting an onion, potato, or another bulb. How long does it take to begin to grow? At the end of the season, has it produced more bulbs or tubers to create new plants? - If you want to experiment with plants that create runners or new offshoots, read the Strawberries sheet and try growing your own. Alternatively try a spider plant or an aloe vera – if kept well these will produce new plants. Keep a diary of their progress BONUS: If your potato, onion or strawberry crop are successful, try eating your produce! .