Researchers from Penn State University and the University of Florida grafted plants to unmodified scion, above-ground shoot, and produced offspring that are vigorous, productive and resilient. The implications of this study are major for plant breeding and protecting future plants from climate change. Crops bred using this method could sidestep the controversy of the GMO process.

The grafted tomato plants involved in the research produced seed that resulted in progeny that were, on average, 35% more productive. And that growth vigor persisted in the progeny over five generations in the study. Source: Penn State

The team conducted large scale field trials with tomato plants in three locations over multiple plant generations. They used epigenetics, which allowed the team to manipulated the expression of existing genes. The team says this process can be done with any plant.

The rootstock used in this study came from tomato plants. Researchers manipulated the expression of the MSH1 gene to induce stress memory. In plants, memory is inherited by some offspring, which then the potential to have more vigorous, hardy and productive growth. The MSH1 gene gave researchers access to a pathway that controls a broad array of plant resiliency networks. When a plant feels stress, it can adjust quickly to its new environment using remembered traits. The team found that remembered traits are passed from roots through the graft at the top of the plant.

The grafted tomato plants produced offspring that were, on average, 35% more productive. The growth vigor remained in progeny over five generations. The plants were also hardier. In August 2018, storms in Pennsylvania dropped more than seven inches of rain. This flooded the tomato fields. The pooled water wiped out plants that were part of other research trials. Plants that were offspring of the grafted plants mostly survived and then went on to thrive. Offspring of the grafted plants had superior survivability on other field trials in California and Florida.

The team says the technology is ready to employ now.

This study was published in Nature Communications.