PLANT HEIGHT IS AN IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTIC IN WHEAT. MODERN SEMI-DWARF VARIETIES HAVE HIGHER YIELDS COMPARED TO STANDARD HEIGHT WHEAT VARIETIES, YET THERE IS LIMITED GENETIC VARIATION FOR THIS TRAIT. ESSENTIALLY ALL SEMI-DWARF WHEAT VARIETIES CONTAIN ONE OF TWO MUTANT FORMS OF THE REDUCED HEIGHT (RHT) GENE. INTERMEDIATE HEIGHT ALLELES ARE DESIRABLE IN HEXAPLOID WHEAT AND DURUM TO MAXIMIZE YIELD, PROTEIN CONTENT, AND PRODUCT QUALITY, YET DO NOT EXIST IN MODERN GERMPLASM. THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO OVERCOME THE LACK OF RHT ALLELIC DIVERSITY IN BREAD WHEAT AND DURUM. LACK OF WHEAT RHT ALLELIC DIVERSITY IS AN OBSTACLE TO INCREASING YIELD AND PRODUCT QUALITY AND WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN SO IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE. THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN SUPERIOR WHEAT PHENOTYPES THAT WILL BENEFIT GROWERS NATIONWIDE. IN ADDITION TO OPTIMIZING HEIGHT, NEW RHT ALLELIC COMBINATIONS WILL IMPROVE COLEOPTILE LENGTH FOR INCREASED STAND ESTABLISHMENT AND IMPROVE YIELD AND GRAIN QUALITY IN BREAD ANDDURUM. THIS PROJECT ADDRESSES THE PRIORITY OF PLANT BREEDING FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION PROGRAM AREA PRIORITY CODE-A1141.