Harnessing Epigenetics through Grafting: Revolutionizing Horticultural Crop Production

Grafting is an ancient agricultural technique that frequently used to enhance the performance of horticultural plants, including vegetables and woody fruit trees. For successful grafting, genotypes compatible scion (the upper part) rootstock lower must interact. Molecular signals, nutritional hormonal proteins, messenger RNAs (mRNAs), are known be transferred from vice versa. Nonetheless, there still numerous mysteries regarding artificial grafts, occurrence genetic/epigenetic alterations due exchanges between graft partners, long-term ramifications these on phenotype unknown. Recent studies interactions rootstocks scions suggest grafting responses have epigenetic component. In this review, we focus current knowledge consequences following grafting. Epigenetic regulations regulate chromatin architecture, alter gene expression, affect cellular function in plants. Mobile small RNAs, for example, been shown modify DNA methylation pattern recipient partner across union. More recently, mRNA 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification has elucidate long-distance transport mechanism Arabidopsis thaliana. We also discuss how grafts can cause heritable result novel plant phenotypes, might help increase crop quality, yield, stress resistance context climate change.