Towards the Molecular Basis of Graft Compatibility

Abstract: Plant grafting, the process of joining separate plants into a single organism, has been used for millennia in horticulture and food production. Despite this long-standing practice, gaps remain in our knowledge of how to predict if and why two different species will or will not be compatible for grafting. This collaborative project will develop and apply a novel approach that combines mathematical tools from network theory and data from plant biophysics to systematically identify key determinants of graft compatibility across plant species on a large scale. The mathematical effort will be centered on the development of inference methods for incomplete data. Experiments will be conducted to validate predictions by testing novel species pairings. The result will be a data-driven framework to identify biophysical, phylogenetic, and molecular mechanisms underlying graft compatibility. Success will be measured by the ability of the approach to predict compatibility between untested species. The research will be conducted at Northwestern University, with a graduate student dedicated to mathematical development and a postdoctoral researcher specializing in plant biophysics. Broader impacts include the potential of this research to contribute to food production, conservation efforts, and carbon fixation. The project will lead to innovative mathematical and biological development and is well aligned with several NITMB themes, especially Learning & Adaptation and Fitness & Optimization.