Conventional Versus Non-Conventional Methods of Propagation of Forest Tree Species: Applications and Limitations

In times of mass destruction and climate change, trees are considered as an easy solution to abating the climate change crisis. Restoration and the renewal of tree crops are indeed crucial. Furthermore, forest trees are acknowledged as the source of raw materials for domestic and industrial wood products, which provide renewable energy, fiber, and timber continuously. The very natural method of multiplying a tree either through seeds or vegetative methods is known from ancient times. Through various advancements in science, we now have access to modern technologies by which forest tree species can be propagated successfully. Traditional methods have been used to reproduce and improve forest trees to safeguard and multiply, but tree breeding efforts are mainly focused on the most valuable and quickly expanding species. As the trees tend to be slow-growing, long-living, sexually incompatible, and heavily heterozygous, these methods are constrained by a number of inherent obstructions. Recent biotechnological techniques offer an enormous flexibility in achieving the desired outcomes, through in vitro technique and ex vitro techniques such as tissue culture, hormonal applications, genome editing, cryopreservation, speed breeding, and algorithm-based propagation protocols. Additionally, one of the major issues in arboriculture today is obtaining strong, high-quality seedlings because, in addition to the dearth of research on propagation, using resistant cultivars and pathogen-free substrates should be prioritized because trees are susceptible to disease. Therefore, additional research should be done to find out more about the cultivars that are best suited to each location as well as advancements in propagation and cultivation methods.