THE HYBRID POPLARS (POPULUS SPP) REPRESENT A PROMISING LONG-TERM BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK FOR BIOFUELS AND THE EMERGING BIOPRODUCTS INDUSTRY, WITH SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING RURAL ECONOMIES OF THE MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES. POPLARS ARE AMONG THE MOST TESTED AND PROMISING WOODY ENERGY CROP FOR THE MIDWEST. THE POTENTIAL FOR ACHIEVING ONE BILLION DRY TONS OF CELLULOSIC BIOMASS PER YEAR NATIONALLY BY 2030 AS DOCUMENTED IN THE DOE 2016 BILLION TON REPORT WILL REQUIRE THE PRODUCTION OF MORE THAN 239 MILLION DRY TONS FROM ENERGY CROPS GROWN ON AGRICULTURAL SOILS. POPLAR CULTURE HAS SIGNIFICANT CAPACITY TO HELP MEET THIS TARGET, AND THE MIDWEST HAS THE ATTRIBUTES TO BE A MAJOR PART OF THE ACREAGE REQUIRED DUE TO ADEQUATE RAINFALL AND A LARGE CROP AND PASTURELAND RESOURCE. THE CURRENT CELLULOSIC ENERGY CROP OUTPUT IN THE UNITED STATES IS VIRTUALLY ZERO, INDICATING THAT AN INTENSIVE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND OUTREACH EFFORT WILL BE NEEDED TO MEET THE NATIONAL BIOMASS FEEDSTOCK GOAL WITHIN THE NEXT 13 YEARS.ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCCESSFUL POPLAR PLANTATIONS REQUIRES GENETIC IMPROVEMENTS FOR INCREASED AND CONSISTENT YIELD, DISEASE RESISTANCE, AND BROADENED ADAPTABILITY ACROSS A RANGE OF CLIMATE AND SOIL TYPES. THESE GENETIC PARAMETERS ARE THE BIOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS TO THE EXPANSION OF HYBRID POPLARS ACROSS THE MIDWEST THAT ARE GERMANE TO THE SUSTAINABLE BIOENERGY AND BIOPRODUCTS CHALLENGE AREA RFA. THERE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIAL POPLAR PLANTATIONS IN MINNESOTA, THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, AND THE MID-SOUTH. IN ALL CASES SUCCESS WAS DUE TO RESEARCH THAT DEVELOPED LOCALLY ADAPTED AND TESTED POPULUS GENOTYPES. THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF HYBRID POPLAR IS LIMITED, HOWEVER, BY THE CURRENT SCALE OF BREEDING, SELECTION, AND TESTING, AND VARIES WITH SHIFTS IN COMMODITY AND PETROLEUM PRICES, REGIONAL BIOMASS SOURCES, AND NATIONAL ENERGY POLICIES. GENETIC ADVANCES NEED TO BE COUPLED WITH AN ASSESSMENT OF TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN POPLARS VERSUS COMMODITY CROPS THAT WILL INDICATE IF AND WHEN GROWERS SHOULD MAKE THE DECISION TO PLANT POPLARS. OTHER LIMITATIONS INCLUDE THE SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE OF A MULTI-YEAR CROP BY FARMERS. ALL OF THESE FACTORS HAVE PREVENTED THE WIDESPREAD PLANTING OF HYBRID POPLARS ACROSS THE MIDWEST.DEPENDABLE YIELD IMPROVEMENT WILL DECREASE INVESTMENT RISK AND PRODUCTION COSTS FOR GROWERS AND INDUSTRIAL WOOD USERS BY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF LAND AND MINIMIZING THE ROTATION LENGTH (YEARS OF GROWING TIME) REQUIRED PER UNIT OF BIOMASS. ADOPTION OF POPLARS AS AN AGRICULTURAL CROP ALSO DEPENDS ON AN EFFECTIVE OUTREACH PROGRAM TO FARMERS, INDUSTRIAL GROWERS, AND FEEDSTOCK PROCESSORS THAT ARE CLOSELY INTEGRATED WITH NEW RESEARCH RESULTS. BIO-REFINERIES AND OTHER PROCESSORS NEED GOOD ESTIMATES OF DEDICATED PLANTATION ACREAGES REQUIRED TO SUPPLY THEIR PLANTS, WHICH IN TURN DEPEND ON PROVEN YIELD VALUES FOR GENETICALLY IMPROVED POPLAR GENOTYPES. NEW BIOECONOMY INDUSTRIES WILL HAVE A PARTICULAR NEED FOR A GUARANTEED BIOMASS SUPPLY IN THE FACE OF COMPETITION F,OR WOOD FROM NATURAL FORESTS BY ESTABLISHED FOREST PRODUCTS COMPANIES. FURTHERMORE, POPLAR CULTURE CAN SUPPLY A HIGHER QUALITY BIOMASS (I.E., WOOD) THAN AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES IN NON-FORESTED REGIONS.THE IMMEDIATE GOAL OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT IS TO MAKE MAJOR ADVANCES IN THE YIELD AND FUTURE COMMERCIALIZATION OF POPLAR PLANTATIONS IN THE MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES THROUGH GENETIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, AND ASSOCIATED EXTENSION INNOVATION PROGRAMMING THAT WILL MINIMIZE THE TIME TO ADOPTION OF COMMERCIAL POPLAR CULTURE. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY DEVELOPING UNIQUE AND VALUABLE GENETIC RESOURCES TO SUPPORT CONTINUING AND FUTURE BREEDING EFFORTS, EVALUATING THE ECONOMICS OF POPLARS VERSUS MAJOR AGRICULTURAL CROPS, AND IMPLEMENTING AN EXTENSION PROGRAM CLOSELY INTEGRATED WITH RESEARCH OUTPUTS.THE BROAD LONG TERM GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO SPEED THE ADOPTION OF HYBRID POPLAR CROPS ON AG LAND IN THE MIDWEST AND TO HELP ESTABLISH THE NEW INDUSTRIES THAT WILL USE THE BIOMASS FROM THIS CROP, PROVIDING SUBSTANTIAL NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL AREAS AND IMPROVING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE. THIS FUTURE VISION IF REALIZED WOULD HAVE DIRECT FINANCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFIT TO FARMERS, THE BIOENERGY AND BIOPRODUCTS INDUSTRY, SMALL TOWN AMERICA, AND THE NATION.