Seed sowing, leaf and stem cuttings, grafting and budding

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) is originally a native of India and belongs to family Moraceae. Jackfruit can be found in all states in Peninsular Malaysia. The jackfruit is commonly propagated through seed sowing. The categorization of seeds into ‘orthodox’ and ‘recalcitrant’ (Roberts, 1973) was based principally on the post-harvest behavior such as desiccation tolerance / sensitivity, storability and germination. Recalcitrant seeds are sensitive to desiccation and lose viability by a short period of storage. Jackfruit seeds have been included under recalcitrant category based on their storage behavior. According to Chin et al., (1984), Artocarpus heterophyllus seeds were killed on drying even to a still high level of 43% moisture content, a decrease of 10% from their original 53% moisture content. The seeds can be stored up to a month in cool, humid conditions but it will germinate more slowly than fresh seeds. Jackfruit seeds must be planted immediately for best germination and seedling vigor. Germination for seed sown within a few days of harvesting is usually high, around 90%. Jackfruit grown from seed usually produces acceptable fruit. The first generation of seedlings appears to retain about 90 percent of the characteristics of the parent. Jackfruit seeds that going to be propagated was collected from trees that have regular, high yields and also have good horticultural characters, such as insect, disease and nematode resistance, proper fruit size and excellent pulp quality. Seeds are light brown to brown, rounded, 2-3 cm in length by U1 .5 cm in diameter, and enclosed in a thin, whitish membrane.