Abstract

People have grafted plants since antiquity for propagation, to increase yields, and to improve stress tolerance. This cutting and joining of tissues activates an incredible regenerative ability as different plants fuse and grow as one. For over a hundred years, people have studied the scientific basis for how plants graft. Today, new techniques and a deepening knowledge of the molecular basis for graft formation have allowed a range of previously ungraftable combinations to emerge. Here, we review recent developments in our understanding of graft formation, including the attachment and vascular formation steps. We analyze why plants graft and how biotic and abiotic factors influence successful grafting. We also discuss the ability and inability of plants to graft, and how grafting has transformed both horticulture and fundamental plant science. As our knowledge about plant grafting improves, new combinations and techniques will emerge to allow an expanded use of grafting for horticultural applications and to address fundamental research questions.

Keywords

plant grafting; regeneration; mobile molecules; tissue adhesion; vascular differentiation; stress tolerance

Published in

Molecular Plant
2024, Volume: 17, number: 1, pages: 75-91
Publisher: CELL PRESS

SLU Authors

• Feng, Ming

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Augstein, Frauke

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Valiya Kadavu, Abdul Kareem

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Melnyk, Charles

  • Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Botany


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2023.12.006

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/128523