Here is the translation of the given content into English: "18 Methods of Fruit Tree Grafting"

Author: Wang Hanmin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-04-01
Features: Excerpt: Chapter Overview
The Origin and Theory of Fruit Tree Grafting
1. The Origin of Fruit Tree Grafting
Grafting is an ancient agricultural technique, a product of practical technology in the development of agricultural economy, and has played an irreplaceable role in promoting agricultural development, especially in the advancement of horticulture. As for which country or person first invented grafting and when it began to be applied, there is currently no precise and reliable evidence. However, scholars worldwide generally agree that grafting was created by humans as a result of discovering the phenomenon of "natural grafting" in labor practice, to meet practical production needs. This technique has been widely used to this day.
The so-called "natural grafting" refers to the phenomenon where the stems or branches of two plants, or two branches of the same plant (or roots as well), grow intertwined under natural conditions and naturally fuse together, known as "interlaced branches," "interlaced trees," or "wood interlacing." The Chinese working people applied grafting techniques very early. For example, historical records in China about natural grafting—"wood interlacing"—are numerous. Statistics show that in one volume of the Twenty-Four Histories, there are 254 records of "wood interlacing" phenomena. In the Comprehensive Library of Ancient and Modern Knowledge (1726), the Bibliography of Botany in the seventh volume of the Wood Section documents 126 cases of natural grafting.
The earliest reliable records of plant grafting found so far are in the Book of Fan Shengzhi (7 BC), which describes grafting 10 bottle gourd seedlings into one vine to produce large gourds. Unfortunately, the original book has long been lost, and it is unknown whether it included records of fruit tree grafting. By the 5th century, in the Essential Techniques for the People of Qi (533–544) by Jia Sixie, there is an extremely detailed description of apple tree grafting, including the selection of rootstocks, scion selection, grafting periods, and conditions for successful grafting.
Afterward, grafting techniques improved significantly, especially in the application of ornamental plants like peonies and chrysanthemums. Great progress was also made in fruit trees. For instance, the famous Citrus Record (1176) contains praise for the advanced grafting techniques of citrus at the time. In the Book of Tree Cultivation (1621) by Yu Zongben of the Yuan Dynasty in the late 14th century, it is recorded that grafting and cultivation were combined to promote variation. The Flower Mirror (1688) states, "It is indeed true that certain trees must be grafted, as there is profound wisdom behind it. Small flowers can be made large, single-petaled flowers can be doubled, red flowers can be purple, small fruits can be huge, sour and bitter fruits can be sweet, and foul-smelling fruits can be fragrant. This is how human effort can turn the impossible into the possible, as long as the technique of grafting is mastered." Here, "grafting" refers to the technique of grafting.
It is clear that our ancestors, through long-term labor practice, not only discovered the phenomenon of natural grafting but also accumulated rich experience and even made innovations, making significant contributions to agricultural biotechnology in China and even the world. This is undoubtedly a source of pride for the Chinese nation.
Abroad, in ancient Greece, Aristotle (384–322 BC) and Theophrastus (372–287 BC) both mentioned plant grafting techniques. The Roman scholar Pliny (23–79 AD) discussed grafting as an applied technique in the second volume of his Natural History. However, it was merely a secret technique, shrouded in mysticism and never became the main method of fruit tree propagation. It was not until the 17th century or even later that grafting was recognized by horticulturists.
Although the origins of grafting are ancient, research on fruit tree grafting began much later. Most significant work in this field was done after the 20th century. In China, major achievements were made after the liberation, such as surveys of rootstock resources and the summarization of grassroots experience in rootstock utilization.