VerplantData

VerplantData is a hypothetical, open data repository and data standard designed for plant transplant experiments and related phenotypic and genotypic data. It provides a common schema and tooling to store, share, and analyze data from grafting, transplantation, viability assessments, and rootstock–scion interactions, together with environmental context and experimental metadata. The project aims to improve reproducibility and cross-study comparability in horticulture and plant biology.

The data model centers on core entities such as experiments, samples, measurements, protocols, environmental conditions, and genetic annotations. Measurements can be numerical, categorical, or time-series, with standardized units and timestamps. Data are linked to controlled vocabularies and ontologies such as the Plant Ontology, Gene Ontology, and Plant Environment Ontology to enable semantic interoperability. Supported formats include JSON-LD, CSV, and RDF, with a documented API for programmatic access.

VerplantData adheres to FAIR principles, emphasizing findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. Datasets are openly accessible under a permissive license, with digital object identifiers, versioning, and clear provenance. The platform provides search capabilities, metadata templates, and API keys for access control where needed. Data submission requires minimal necessary metadata and a data–citation plan to facilitate reuse.

Governance is undertaken by an international consortium of botanical gardens, universities, and research institutes. The consortium defines submission guidelines, review processes, and curation practices to ensure data quality. Regular releases, documentation updates, and community forums support sustained use and feedback. Funding is sourced from public grants and collaborative partnerships to maintain long-term sustainability.

Uses include meta-analyses of graft compatibility, rootstock–scion performance under varying environments, and comparisons across species or cultivars. By enabling standardized reporting and rich metadata, verplantdata supports reproducible experiments and data-driven discovery in plant science, breeding, and agriculture.