I'm Faith Lapidus with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

We often think of agriculture as planting seeds and harvesting crops. But many crops do not come from seeds. Many kinds of trees and plants are grown from pieces cut from existing trees and plants. This is called grafting.

Farmers cut branches or young growths, called buds, from one plant and place them on a related kind of plant. The branch or bud that is grafted is called a scion (pronounced SY-uhn). The plant that accepts the graft is called the root stock.

Over time, the parts from the two plants grow together. The grafted plant begins to produce the leaves and fruit of the scion, not the root stock.

A graft can be cut in several ways. A cleft graft, for example, requires a scion with several buds on it. The bottom of the scion is cut in the shape of the letter V. A place is cut in the root stock to accept the scion. The scion is then securely placed into the cut on the root stock. Material called a growth medium is put on the joint to keep it wet and help the growth.

Grafting can join scions with desirable qualities to root stock that is strong and resists disease and insects. Smaller trees can be grafted with older scions. The American Environmental Protection Agency says grafting can reduce the need to use pesticides on crops. The E.P.A. found that grafting stronger plants costs less than using chemicals. Also, poisons can be dangerous to people and the environment.

Agriculture could not exist as we know it without grafting. Many fruits and nuts have been improved through this method. Some common fruit trees such as sweet cherries and McIntosh apples have to be grafted.

Bing cherries, for example, are one of the most popular kinds of cherries. But a Bing cherry tree is not grown from seed. Branches that produce Bing cherries must be grafted onto root stock. All sweet cherries on the market are grown this way.

And then there are seedless fruits like navel oranges and seedless watermelons. Have you ever wondered how farmers grow them? The answer is: through grafting.

The grapefruit tree is another plant that depends on grafting to reproduce. Grapes, apples, pears and also flowers can be improved through grafting. In an age of high-technology agriculture, grafting is a low-technology method that remains extremely important.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. Our reports are on the Web at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Faith Lapidus.

grafting: 錕睫接鳳拷錕斤拷[醫(yī)]錕斤拷植錕斤拷

scion: 錕斤拷為錕睫接鹼拷錕鉸的ｏ拷錕斤拷芽錕斤拷小枝

root stock: 錕斤拷錕斤拷, 錕斤拷錕斤拷

growth medium: 錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷

sweet cherry: a large, widely cultivated deciduous tree (Prunus avium) of the rose family, native to Eurasia, having red-brown birchlike bark, white flowers, and sweet edible fruit(錕斤拷櫻錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕姐泛錕斤拷錕街碉拷薔薇錕狡達(dá)拷錕斤拷錕斤拷葉錕斤拷錕斤拷原錕斤拷錕斤拷歐錕角達(dá)拷陸錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷為歐錕斤拷錕斤拷櫻錕揭ｏ拷

McIntosh apple: 錕斤拷錕斤拷錕絞財(cái)伙拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷什錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷一錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷暮錕狡伙拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕組cIntosh Red錕斤拷

Bing cherry: a variety of cherry with juicy, sweet, deep red to nearly black fruit錕斤拷錕斤拷櫻錕揭ｏ拷錕斤拷汁味錕金、鹼拷錕斤拷錕斤拷色錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷實(shí)錕斤拷

navel orange: a sweet, usually seedless orange having at its apex a navellike formation enclosing an underdeveloped fruit錕斤拷錕斤拷齲錕揭伙拷錕酵�锟藉K斤拷錕斤拷訓(xùn)錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷櫻錕斤拷錕絞碉拷邪錕斤拷錕揭伙拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕階達(dá)拷錕轎達(dá)拷錕斤拷錕斤拷玫錕剿�锟藉K斤拷錕?/P>

grapefruit: a tropical or semitropical evergreen (Citrus paradisi) cultivated for its edible fruit錕斤拷錕斤拷錕斤拷錕街ｏ拷