What is grafting in horticulture?

Grafting is a horticultural technique that involves joining tissues from one plant to another so that they can grow together as a single plant. This process allows for the combination of desirable traits from two different plants, such as disease resistance from one and high yield from another. It is particularly useful in fruit tree cultivation as it can enhance growth characteristics and fruit production.

Successful grafting requires careful preparation and alignment of the tissues, typically the cambium layers, which are responsible for growth. Once grafted, the plants will develop a vascular connection that allows for nutrient and water exchange. This method not only allows for the propagation of varieties that do not root well from cuttings but also enables growers to produce plants that have certain desirable genetic traits while maintaining the characteristics of the rootstock.

The other options do not accurately describe grafting. Pruning is related to shaping and managing plant growth, seed propagation is a different method of plant reproduction altogether, and improving soil quality is unrelated to the process of grafting. Grafting remains a fundamentally distinct technique focused on plant tissue integration.