International Plant Grafting Society
A global academic society uniting the world's leading researchers to advance the science of plant grafting — for food systems that feed a warmer planet.
A discipline at a turning point
Grafting already underpins modern horticulture. The science behind it must now catch up — globally, collaboratively, and openly.
Four ways IPGS advances the field
Coordinate research
Seven thematic Working Groups deliver flagship programs, collaborative projects, and seed-grant pilots across member institutions.
Build infrastructure
The IPGS Knowledge Commons hosts compatibility data, open protocols, germplasm registries, and FAIR-compliant datasets.
Train researchers
Joint PhD supervision, postdoctoral mobility, the HZAU Grafting Summer Institute, and a South–South Exchange Programme.
Set standards
The Minimum Information for Grafting Experiments (MIGE) and harmonized phenotyping protocols establish a shared vocabulary.
Where the work happens
Self-organising clusters, each co-led by investigators from two different member countries.
Grafting Biology & Genomics
Molecular interactions at the graft union, epigenetic reprogramming, and systems biology.
Climate-Adaptive Grafting
Drought, heat, salinity and waterlogging tolerance through strategic rootstock selection.
Soil Health & Biotic Stress
Grafting-mediated resistance to Fusarium, Verticillium, Phytophthora and nematodes.
Yield, Quality & Nutrition
Effects on yield, flavour, nutritional composition, and post-harvest performance.
Mechanization & AI
Robotic grafting, machine vision, and AI-assisted compatibility matching.
Standardization & Protocols
Harmonized protocols and the MIGE standard for reproducible experimentation.
Capacity Building & Education
Training programs, curriculum, fellowships, and South–South exchange.
IPGS Founding Meeting
Wuhan · 7–10 May 2026
The inaugural meeting of the International Plant Grafting Society. The Charter will be signed, the first Board seated, and the first Working Groups constituted. Invited founding participants arrive from Brazil, China, France, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, and Türkiye.
Provisional programme
| 7 May | Registration & Welcome Reception |
| 8 May | Founding Meeting — Technical Sessions |
| 9 May | Optional field & facility visits |
| 10 May | Departure |
An academic society, governed by its members
IPGS is open to universities, national agricultural research institutes, and research colleges worldwide. Contributions are in-kind — researcher time, facilities, germplasm, and co-hosted activities — never commercial dues.
Founding
5–8 pioneer institutions
Permanent Board seat, IP priority, and alliance co-branding rights.
Full
Universities & NARIs
Voting rights, co-PI status on joint projects, full data-commons access.
Associate
Research colleges & networks
Training access, joint-publication eligibility, observer rights in the Assembly.
Observer
FAO, CGIAR, ministries
General Assembly attendance and receipt of all IPGS publications.
Subscribe to the IPGS Quarterly
A quarterly digest of Society news, calls for participation, and new Knowledge-Commons deposits.