THE HUMAN POPULATION WILL HAVE REACHED NINE BILLION PEOPLE BY THE YEAR 2050. IT IS ALSO ANTICIPATED THAT WE WILL FACE INCREASING PERIODS OF ABIOTIC STRESS, SUCH AS DROUGHT AND HEAT, WITH DECREASING AVAILABILITY OF ARABLE LAND. GIVEN THESE CONDITIONS, IT IS LIKELY THAT CURRENT AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THE FUTURE FOOD DEMAND. TO MEET THIS EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGE IN FOOD PRODUCTION, WE NEED TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CROP PLANTS COPE WITH ABIOTIC STRESS AND TO DEVELOP NOVEL STRATEGIES THAT SECURE CROP YIELD EVEN AT TIMES OF INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A NOVEL REGULATORY MECHANISM THAT POSITIVELY AFFECTS SEVERAL IMPORTANT TRAITS IN PLANTS SUCH AS STRESS TOLERANCE, SEED OIL PRODUCTION, AND FLOWERING TIME. THE MECHANISM IS BASED ON SPECIFIC MOTIFS FOUND IN PROTEINS THAT TRIGGER THEIR DEGRADATION WITHIN THE PLANT. THE PROPOSAL AIMS AT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THESE 'INSTABILITY MOTIFS' TO CONTROL PROTEIN LEVELS AND THEREBY THEIR ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE PLANT. WE WILL TEST A STRATEGY WE DEVISED FOR CONTROLLING PROTEIN DEGRADATION BY MODIFYING TWO BRASSICA SPECIES, CANOLA (BRASSICA NAPUS) AND TURNIP (B. RAPA). THE GENERATED PLANTS WILL THEN BE TESTED FOR IMPROVED STRESS TOLERANCE, GENERAL DEVELOPMENT, AND SEED OIL PRODUCTION. THIS PROJECT IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS DEVELOPING A NOVEL BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PLATFORM THAT WILL ENABLE RAPID MODIFICATION OF MULTIPLE TRAITS IN CROP PLANTS. BECAUSE THE REGULATORY MECHANISM WE PLAN TO MODIFY IS HIGHLY CONSERVED, WE EXPECT THAT THE METHODOLOGY WE ARE DEVELOPING CAN BE APPLIED TO A BROAD RANGE OF HIGH ECONOMIC VALUE CROPS SUCH AS MAIZE, SOYBEANS, POTATO, OR RICE. ON THE LOCAL LEVEL, OUR TECHNOLOGY WILL ENABLE PRODUCTION OF DESIGNER PLANT VARIETIES ADAPTED TO REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, ENABLING PRODUCERS TO SELECT THOSE BEST FITTING THEIR REGIONAL NEEDS. ON THE GLOBAL LEVEL, WE WILL DELIVER A NOVEL TOOL THAT WILL IMPROVE FOOD SECURITY IN THE UNITED STATES AND WORLD-WIDE.