emokasvissa

Emokasvissa is a term used in horticulture to describe the practice and system surrounding the use of a selected mother plant (emokasvi) as the source of propagative material. The mother plant is kept under controlled conditions to maintain its desirable traits, and its genetic material is propagated vegetatively to produce clones with consistent characteristics.

Propagation typically begins with selecting a vigorous, healthy emokasvi that expresses the traits sought in the crop, such as disease resistance, growth habit, or fruit quality. Cuttings are taken from the emokasvi, treated with rooting hormone, and placed in a rooting medium under appropriate light, temperature, and humidity. Once roots form, the plantlets are transplanted to growing media and eventually moved to larger containers or fields. In some crops, other vegetative methods like division or layering may also involve an emokasvi as the source of material.

Care and sanitation are essential components of emokasissa. The emokasvi is kept separate from production stock to prevent pathogen transfer, and routine monitoring, sanitation, and rotation are practiced. The main advantages include genetic uniformity, predictable performance, and faster multiplication, which support consistent quality. The main drawbacks are the risk of spreading pathogens if the emokasvi is infected, potential loss of genetic diversity, and the infrastructure and labor required to maintain the mother plants.

In commercial production, emokasvissa is common for ornamentals, fruit crops, and vegetables where uniformity is particularly valued. The concept highlights the critical role of the mother plant in clonally propagated crops.