**3.2 Daughter plants**

To provide stable temperature and moisture conditions for the root primordia, selected stolons carrying daughter plants are immersed in water and cleaned from auxiliary runners and sick leaves. Cuttings are then planted on moist Zohar-6 mixture (Tuff Agricultural Cooperative Society Ltd., Merom Golan, Israel) containing fertilizers. Rooting takes place in plastic trays of 77 conical cells, 2.5"-deep (50 ml). The trays are placed on tables under net tunnels that reduce ambient radiation by 50%. During the rooting process, which lasts about 21 days, both the irrigation frequency and the shading regime are reduced gradually. Low capacity (7.5 l h−1) (CoolNet FoggersTM Netafim, Israel) provide the moisture required for a successful rooting process. The initial fogging intensity is gradually reduced from 48 pulses per day (2 min per pulse) during the first 3 days, to 6 pulses per day at the end of the rooting phase. This procedure is essential for adequate seedling hardening. Nutrient supply, for supporting a well-established root system and canopy, is carried out daily from the second week of the rooting phase applying a liquid composite NPK (6:6:6) Shefer fertilizer (ICL, Israel) at 60 ppm N.
