Attendees in College Station will explore AI-driven phenotyping, high-throughput data systems, and cutting-edge breeding programs across multiple crops and environments.
The National Association for Plant Breeding (NAPB) Annual Meeting is heading to Texas A&M University from June 15-18, and organizers are promising a one-of-a-kind experience rooted in the scale, diversity, and innovation that define Texas agriculture.
Set in the heart of one of the most dynamic agricultural regions in the United States, the 2026 meeting at College Station will give attendees an inside look at plant breeding programs uniquely shaped by the Southern U.S. adaptation zone — where heat, drought, and diverse agroecological regions drive cutting-edge research and innovation.
With registration open at https://napbannualmeeting.org, plant breeders, geneticists, researchers, and students should mark their calendars.
A Breeding Program as Big as Texas
College Station’s plant breeding efforts are expansive, both in geography and impact. Across three departments in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, breeders and geneticists work on a remarkable range of crops, many of which thrive under the distinct Texas climate.
“Everything from Texas is big, including the plant breeding programs,” says organizing committee chairperson David Baltensperger.
Attendees will discover:
- Extensive breeding programs across multiple agroecological zones
- Research and extension centers distributed statewide
- Region-specific adaptation research tailored to primary crops in each area
- A large, collaborative network of plant breeders and geneticists
For many, the scale and diversity of Texas A&M’s breeding efforts will be a revelation, Baltensperger says.
Exclusive Tours: Innovation in Action
One of the most anticipated features of the meeting, which builds on the success of last year’s meeting on the Big Island of Hawaii, is the opportunity to step beyond the lecture hall and into the field.
A highlight of the program will be a visit to the RiceTec hybrid rice breeding program, a rare opportunity to see cutting-edge hybrid rice development up close. Organizers expect this tour to be both educational and energizing.
As the largest crop in Texas, cotton plays a defining role in the state’s agricultural identity. Attendees will tour portions of Texas A&M’s cotton research programs and learn how breeders are addressing challenges unique to the region.
Participants will also explore breeding programs in corn, sorghum, hemp and turfgrass.
And beyond row crops, Texas A&M’s horticulture programs bring additional depth, with breeding efforts in peaches, roses, potatoes, and others.
This diversity reflects not only the state’s agricultural breadth, but also the integrated approach Texas A&M brings to plant breeding.
High-Tech Phenomics and the Future of Breeding
Innovation won’t be limited to the field, though.
Attendees will have the chance to visit Texas A&M’s relatively new phenomics greenhouse, where researchers are building advanced data pipelines for automated phenotyping. The facility represents a major step forward in integrating high-throughput data collection with breeding decisions — an area of growing importance for the discipline.
“For researchers interested in digital agriculture, AI-driven phenotyping, and scalable data systems, this stop alone will make the trip worthwhile,” says Baltensperger.
A Premier Scientific Program
Beyond the tours, the NAPB program committee is preparing what promises to be a strong and dynamic scientific meeting.
As in previous years, award recipients will present their talks during the conference, bringing together leaders across academia, industry, and government. With Texas A&M’s deep bench of expertise and the national draw of NAPB, next year’s meeting is positioned to be both intellectually rigorous and highly collaborative.
They will include:
- Dr. Istvan Rajvan of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, who received the Public Sector Impact Award at the 2025 gathering
- Dr. Mark Sorrells of Cornell University, the 2025 NAPB Lifetime Achievement Award recipient
- Corteva Agriscience’s Dr. Zachary Jones, 2025 Early Career Scientist Award recipient
Registration details and updates are available at the NAPB conference website.
With a program this expansive — and a setting as distinctive as College Station — the 2026 NAPB meeting is shaping up to be one you won’t want to miss.
