The annual meeting will unite researchers and industry while growing mentorship opportunities and inviting new sponsors to support future plant breeders.
The 2026 National Association for Plant Breeding (NAPB) Annual Meeting at Texas A&M isn’t just another industry event. It’s a focal point for shaping the future of plant science. From June 15-18, researchers, students, and industry leaders will gather at College Station to explore cutting-edge innovation while investing in the next generation of breeders.
Where Innovation Meets Real-World Impact
Set in one of the most diverse agricultural regions in the U.S., the meeting offers a rare look at large-scale, climate-driven breeding programs tackling heat, drought, and regional crop challenges.
Attendees will experience:
- Advanced breeding across crops like cotton, corn, sorghum, and rice
- Field tours, including hybrid rice and cotton research programs
- High-tech phenomics facilities enabling automated, data-driven breeding
The event blends field-level insight with emerging technologies such as AI-driven phenotyping and high-throughput data systems, a reflection of how rapidly the discipline is evolving.
Investing in the Next Generation
Running alongside this technical depth is a powerful human story: the continued growth of the NAPB Borlaug Scholars program. Launched in 2018 to connect students with mentors across academia and industry, the program has already paired 156 mentors with students from 37 universities worldwide.
Backed by companies like Bayer, Corteva, Inari, and ASTA, the initiative delivers tangible value — including nearly 2,000 hours of mentorship, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of dollars in professional guidance.
But its real impact is seen in the scholars themselves. From advancing disease resistance research to applying AI in crop prediction, participants are tackling global challenges tied to food security, sustainability, and farmer livelihoods.
A Call for Broader Industry Support
As the program expands, NAPB is actively inviting new sponsors for 2026.
Sponsorship offers more than brand visibility. It provides:
- Direct access to emerging scientific talent
- Early insight into future industry leaders
- A role in strengthening global plant breeding capacity
More Than a Conference
What makes NAPB 2026 essential isn’t just its technical agenda, it’s the convergence of innovation, mentorship, and community. The meeting showcases how breakthroughs in breeding are inseparable from the people driving them.
In College Station, the future of plant breeding won’t just be discussed. It will be built — in the field, in the lab, and through the relationships that shape the next generation of scientists. For more info and to register, visit the conference website.
