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Thanks for sharing your progress Jitesh. The pups appearing is a good sign you've infected the scion, although sometimes grafted cacti just pup a lot anyway so we'll have to wait and see what it does. A good sign it's indeed infected is if pups appear on the entire scion
To answer your earlier question about degrafting:

So my qstn is how to degraft should i just pluck off Sabulata monstrose or cut somewhere

Either are fine!

And an update from me:
I finally did another graft try. Hoping this one takes

I finally did a successful Pereskiopsis to ASM graft a few weeks ago. This one didn't dry out like the others No signs of growth yet. I used a small piece though so it may just be taking its time

Here is an update on
1) o.monacantha graft on pereskiopsis :-
Nothing unusual scion has not been infected 2) peres on o.monacantha on peres :- pereskiopsis graft on o.monacantha did not become monstrose and growing speed is Normal 3) o.monacantha on Opuntia

A quick update on my progress here:
The Pereskiopsis to ASM graft hasn't really done anything
I successfully grafted Pereskiopsis to Opuntia monacantha (variegated and monstrose). The O. monacantha was itself on Pereskiopsis. The bottom Pereskiopsis died right below the graft, dooming the entire thing

I am not able to create Montrose pereskiopsis but with the help of opuntia monacantha and pereskiopsis made some other cactus Montrose. Also effect of opuntia monacantha have pass through pereskiopsis although it didn't have any change on pereskiopsis but make other cactus monstrose

Very impressive Jitesh. Is there a trick to grafting the Pereskiopsis onto the monacantha? Mine either die or fuse and never really do anything

Your results are quite impressive. I wonder if the scion would retain its monstrose characters if degrafted

Shane wrote: ↑Sat Dec 19, 2020 11:16 pm Very impressive Jitesh. Is there a trick to grafting the Pereskiopsis onto the monacantha? Mine either die or fuse and never really do anything

Your results are quite impressive. I wonder if the scion would retain its monstrose characters if degrafted

No trick , just cut smaller monacantha and put on Peres I will degraft scion to check monstrose character but after very long tym coz there is only one i have now

Also degrafted monacantha retain its opuntia type shape which i cutted from Pereskiopsis.

Here is proof of monstrose effect passing from Pereskiopsis to cactus

Jitesh Rana wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:17 am Here is proof of monstrose effect passing from Pereskiopsis to cactus

It seems from Jitesh Rana's experiments that the infection can be passed only upwards, suggesting this virus or whatever it may be only travels through xylem tissue...? It also seems like only some species are susceptible while others are immune...this thread is becoming more and more interesting. I thought monstrose cacti are just mutants lacking the production of inhibitory hormone (produced in apical meristem, forgot the name), causing all meristem tissues in all areoles to grow, is this the case in some of them?? Or are they all infected with some kind of virus or parasite? So many questions, so little research. I guess it's up to us to figure it out haha

This got me worried though, can the infection be passed to other plants via insect vectors?

Jitesh Rana wrote: ↑Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:17 am Here is proof of monstrose effect passing from Pereskiopsis to cactus

Wow, this is really interesting. I was a bit skeptical but this is a nice A/B. Thank you for sharing!

To see how much other species are susceptible i have graft two more different cactus on monacantha peres but due to winter they are now dormant.
There is also one more cactus i have, but not able to graft it on other( It has never fuse with other)

Red Bunny ear cactus on monacantha Peres Echinopsis calochlora on monacantha peres

A update on Graft

1) cactus on monacantha peres. Its side pup are strongly attach to it like they are one May be it is cause by monstrose effect Now, I am trying to see how well these monstrose pup will do on their on root 2) echinopsis oxygona Monacantha was affected by winter so it is not growing as Good as it can

3) red Bunny cactus

Thanks for sharing Jitesh. Very interesting results you've gotten. Even though I've made no progress, I'm glad somebody is! It's getting warm enough here my Pereskiopsis are waking up again. I will try another graft soon

Carbo wrote: ↑Tue Dec 22, 2020 3:59 pm I thought monstrose cacti are just mutants lacking the production of inhibitory hormone (produced in apical meristem, forgot the name), causing all meristem tissues in all areoles to grow, is this the case in some of them??

That hormone is auxin. Specifically the ratio between auxin and another hormone, cytokinin (produced in the roots), determines apical growth vs growth of shoots/pups. A meristem producing less auxin than usual would indeed cause runaway pupping (a plant producing no auxin would likely die eventually)

The apical meristem can't be the whole story since grafting essentially replaces the plant's existing meristem with a new one from an uneffected plant, yet we still see monstrose growth. I would guess indeed it's a virus or other pathogen at work. I think the pathogen either causes decreased auxin production or uptake or increased cytokinin production transportation or uptake

Shane wrote: ↑Sun May 16, 2021 9:10 pm That hormone is auxin. Specifically the ratio between auxin and another hormone, cytokinin (produced in the roots), determines apical growth vs growth of shoots/pups. A meristem producing less auxin than usual would indeed cause runaway pupping (a plant producing no auxin would likely die eventually)

The apical meristem can't be the whole story since grafting essentially replaces the plant's existing meristem with a new one from an uneffected plant, yet we still see monstrose growth. I would guess indeed it's a virus or other pathogen at work. I think the pathogen either causes decreased auxin production or uptake or increased cytokinin production transportation or uptake

Infected plants aside, wikipedia says that the apical shoot produces auxin which travels down the stem and inhibits growth of lateral buds. But then, why is it that as soon as the apical shoot is removed, almost invariably in all plants, it is the shoots closest to apical that start growing first? Shouldn't those buds be "the most inhibited"?
Notice also in cacti species, there's cacti that grow straight up but after a certain length, they start branching right at the base, as if the distance between auxin producing meristem and base becomes too long for auxin to inhibit those buds. Then again, in those same cacti, if you remove apical bud, it's ones closest to it that start growing. I was reading a recent scientific study that suggest there is more at play than just hormones, can't find it right now though

But then, why is it that as soon as the apical shoot is removed, almost invariably in all plants, it is the shoots closest to apical that start growing first? Shouldn't those buds be "the most inhibited"?

I assumed it was because the area closest to the apex would be the first to run low on auxin. Like if a creek got blocked by something the area closest downstream of the blockage would go dry first

I agree there must be more going on with branching though. For example, look at the difference between Stenocereus, Carnegia and Browningea. They generally branch brom the base, middle and top respectively