Propagating breadfruit: root cuttings, root shoots and nursery care

Seedless breadfruit does not come from seed. Here is how it is multiplied on the farm and in the programme nursery.

Jamaican breadfruit varieties are seedless, so every tree is a clone of a parent. There are three ways to make new plants.

Root shoots (suckers)

A mature tree throws up shoots from surface roots, especially where a root has been nicked by a fork or hoe. Once a shoot is 30–60 cm tall with its own leaves:

dig around it and cut the parent root 15 cm either side of the shoot
lift it with as much root as possible, keep it shaded and damp
pot it in a bag of soil, sand and compost and keep it in shade for 6–8 weeks

Root cuttings

The method most nurseries use:

Expose a surface root 1.5–4 cm thick on a healthy, productive tree. Never take more than a third of the surface roots from one tree in a year.
Cut pieces 20–25 cm long. Mark which end faced the trunk.
Lay them horizontally (or set at a shallow angle, trunk end up) in a bed of clean sand and coir or well-drained soil, 3 cm deep.
Keep the bed in 50% shade, moist not wet. Shoots appear in 3–8 weeks.
When a shoot has 4–6 leaves, pot it up into a nursery bag. Grow on for 4–6 months before field planting.

Tissue culture

The programme nursery uses tissue-culture plants for disease-free bulk supply of selected varieties (including Ma'afala, a compact, high-yielding type). These come as small plants that must be hardened in shade for several weeks before sale or planting.

Nursery care

50% shade cloth; move plants to full sun for the last month before planting out
water daily in dry weather, less in rain — the bag must drain freely
a weak liquid feed every two weeks once the plant has leaves
inspect weekly for mealybug, scale and snails; remove by hand or with soap spray
a plant is ready when it is 60–90 cm tall with a woody base and a root ball that holds together