From the archive record
This time-lapse captured two farmers in Uttarakhand, India, performing cleft grafting on a wild pear tree, a traditional horticultural technique used to propagate and improve fruit trees. The farmers carefully prepare the rootstock, insert selected scion wood into the split stem, and securely bind the graft to encourage successful growth. The accelerated sequence highlights the precision, coordination, and skill involved in this method of orchard management. Cleft grafting is widely used to preserve desirable fruit varieties, improve productivity, and rejuvenate existing orchards throughout the Himalayan region.