2026 International Conference on Molecular Plant Sciences (ICMPS2026)

November 12, Thursday
8:30-8:45	Opening Remarks (4^th Floor, Grand ballroom) Sheng Luan, University of California, Berkeley, USA Bin Han, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, CAS, China Hongwei Xue, South China Agriculture University, China
Session I: Cell and Developmental Biology (Chairs:)
8:45-9:10	Jirí Friml, Institute of Science and Technology, Austria New roles of cyclic nucleotides as second messengers in plants
9:10-9:35	Liwen Jiang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China TBD
9:35-10:00	June M. Kwak, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Korea Life after abscission in plants
10:00-10:20	Break
10:20-10:45	Remko Offringa, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands Resetting Developmental Age in Plants: From Somatic Embryogenesis to Polycarpy
10:45-11:10	Kalika Prasad, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, India Self-organized morphogenesis in regeneration: A feedback perspective
11:10-11:30	Charles W. Melnyk, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden Towards a molecular understanding of how plants graft
11:30-11:45	Short talk 1
11:45-12:00	Short talk 2
12:00-12:10	Flash Talk 1-3
12:10-13:30	Lunch
Session II: Plant-Environment Interactions (Chairs:)
13:30-13:55	Christian Fankhauser, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland Outgrowing the competition: Carbon resource allocation in the shade avoidance response
13:55-14:20	Hon Ming Lam,The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China Genomic regulation of salt-priming in soybean
14:20-14:45	Hao Yu, National University of Singapore, Singapore RNA modifications in plants
14:45-15:10	Hongtao Liu, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China Functional differences of the blue light photoreceptor CRY between Arabidopsis and maize
15:10-15:30	Break
15:30-15:55	Eva Benkova, Institute of Science and Technology, Austria TBD
15:55-16:20	Pedro L. Rodriguez, IBMCP, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas- Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Spain Structural Biology, ABA Signaling and Crop Protection
16:20-16:45	Bing Wang, IGDB, CAS, China Strigolactones: From Endogenous Plant Hormones to Rhizosphere Signals
16:45-17:00	Short talk 3
17:00-17:15	Short talk 4
17:15-17:30	Flash talk 4-8
17:30-18:15	Poster session (4^th Floor, Grand ballroom No.3)
18:15-20:00	Dinner
20:00-21:30	Molecular Plant, Plant Communications and Applied Plant Science Joint Board Meeting (Only board members will attend)

November 13, Friday
Session III: Metabolism, Nutrition and Biofortification (Chairs:)
8:30-8:55	Qifa Zhang, Huazhong Agricultural University, China TBD
8:55-9:20	Harro Bouwmeester, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands The chemical dialogue between plants and their rhizosphere microbiome
9:20-9:45	Jian Feng Ma, Okayama University, Japan Signal Molecules Regulating Mineral Element Transport in Rice
9:45-10:10	Fangjie Zhao, Nanjing Agricultural University, China Strategies to limit heavy metal accumulation in rice
10:10-10:30	Break
10:30-10:55	Salim Al-Babili, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia Advances in Strigolactone and Apocarotenoid Metabolism
10:55-11:20	Xuelu Wang, Henan University, China Energy sensing and carbon metabolism for efficient nitrogen fixation and crop yield
11:20-11:35	Short Talk 5
11:35-11:50	Short Talk 6
11:50-12:00	Flash Talk 9-12
12:10-13:30	Lunch
Session IV: Plant-Microbe Interactions (Chairs:)
13:30-13:55	Sheng Yang He, Duke University, USA Environmental impact of plant- microbe interactions
13:55-14:20	Corné M J Pieterse, Utrecht University, Netherlands The extended plant immune system
14:20-14:45	Hui-Shan Guo, Institute of Microbiology, CAS, China Learning from the interactions between plants and pathogens
14:45-15:10	Yuelin Zhang, Sichuan University, China Signaling mechanisms of salicylic acid receptors
15:10-15:30	Break
15:30-15:55	Heribert Hirt, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia Lessons from Desert Plants to Provide Solutions for a Sustainable Planet
15:55-16:15	Xin Li, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada Breaking the “one nucleus, one whole genome” rule: lessons from fungi
16:15-16:35	Li Wan, CEMPS, CAS, China Dissection and Application of Core Pathways in Plant Immunity
16:35-16:50	Short talk 7
16:50-17:05	Short talk 8
17:05-17:30	Flash Talk 13-18
17:30-18:15	Poster Session (4^th Floor, Grand Ballroom No.3)
18:15-20:00	Dinner

November 14, Saturday
Session V: Crop Genomics and Improvement (Chairs:)
8:30-8:55	Tadao Asami, The University of Tokyo, Japan Designer plant hormone receptors exclusively activated by designer plant hormone regulators
8:55-9:20	Qi Xie, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, CAS, China SbMLG1-mediated mixed-linkage glucan regulation and forage quality
9:20-9:45	Letian Chen, South China Agriculture University, China The interactions of multiple genes in single complex locus confer hybrid sterility in rice
9:45-10:10	Keke Yi, China Agriculture Academy of Sciences, China Reinforce beneficial plant-microbe interactions to bolster crop drought resilience
10:10-10:30	Break
10:30-10:45	Short talk 9
10:45-11:05	Manuel Spannagl, Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany Exploring intra- and inter-specific genomic diversity for crop improvement
11:05 -11:30	Lizhong Xiong, Huazhong Agricultural University, China Exploring stress-resistance genes for design-breeding in rice
11:30-11:55	Scott A Jackson, The University of Georgia, USA Crop design—an integrated approach to designing crops of the future
11:55-12:00	Concluding Remarks Bin Han, Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, CAS, China
12:00-13:30	Lunch
14:00-18:00	Outdoor Discussion and Excursion

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