How does plant grafting work? How can two genetically different individuals be attached together without their immune systems attacking one another?
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Plants have very different immune systems compared to animals like us! Animals have innate and adaptive immune systems — to keep it uncomplicated, we can leave it at that. But interactions with adaptive immune cells is what leads to graft rejection in animals. However, plants lack an adaptive immune system and so grafting is a lot easier in plants. This being said, in order to have a successful graft the plants typically still need to be closely related.
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