**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PLANT VIRUSES CAUSE SIGNIFICANT CROP LOSSES EVERY YEAR. BREEDING EFFORTS TYPICALY FOCUS ON DISEASE RESISTANCE IN CROPS, BUT ITS SUCCESS IS OFTEN SHORT-LIVED BECAUSE VIRUSES CAN QUICKLY EVOLVE TO OVERCOME THIS RESISTANCE. IN CONTRAST, HOST TOLERANCE ALLOWS FOR VIRUSES TO INFECT A PLANT BUT WITH LITTLE TO NO DISEASE, AND MAY PROVIDE MORE DURABLE DISEASE MANAGEMENT. ADDITIONALLY, BEES PROVIDE VITAL POLLINATION SERVICES TO CROPS AND MANY BEE POPULATIONS ARE IN DECLINE DUE TO VARIOUS FACTORS INCLUDING HABITAT LOSS AND POOR NUTRITION. HOWEVER, IT IS LARGELY UNKNOWN HOW PLANT DISEASES MAY AFFECT THE ABILITY OF PLANTS TO ATTRACT POLLINATORS OR CHANGE THE NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF POLLEN AND NECTAR FOR VISITING INSECTS.PROPER PLANT DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND METHODS TO SUPPORT BEE POPULATIONS AND POLLINATION SERVICES ARE VITAL FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE. THEREFORE, THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO UNDERSTAND GENETIC MECHANISMS OF VIRUS TOLERANCE AND POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES OF TOLERANCE FOR PLANT ANDPOLLINATOR HEALTH, TO DETERMINE ITS VIABILITY AS A DISEASE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY. I WILL USE SQUASH PLANTS (CUCURBITA SPP.) WITH LOW, MODERATE, AND HIGH TOLERANCE TO ZUCCHINI YELLOW MOSAIC VIRUS TO PERFORM COMPARATIVE GENE EXPRESSION EXPERIMENTS THAT WILL HELP IDENTIFY GENETIC MECHANISMS CONFERRING VIRUS TOLERANCE. ADDITIONALLY, I WILL PERFORM FIELD EXPERIMENTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW TOLERANCE AFFECTS PLANT FITNESS BY MEASURING TRAITS SUCH AS POLLINATION SUCCESS, FLOWER PRODUCTION, AND PLANT YIELDS. LASTLY, I WILL MEASURE NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF FLOWERS FROM VIRUS-INFECTED PLANTS TO ASSESS CONSEQUENCES OF VIRUS TOLERANCE FOR POLLINATOR HEALTH. THIS RESEARCH WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO HOST TOLERANCE AS A NOVEL DISEASE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY TO DECREASE CROP LOSSES CAUSED BY PLANT VIRUSES. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO IDENTIFY PLANT TRAITS THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR POLLINATOR VISITATION AND POLLINATOR HEALTH, INCREASING THE SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW DISEASES AFFECT PLANT-POLLINATOR INTERACTIONS AND THE ABILITY TO BREED CROPS THAT ARE MORE ATTRACTIVE AND MORE NUTRITIOUS TO POLLINATORS. THESE CONCEPTS COULD THEN BE APPLIED TO A WIDE RANGE OF CROPS FOR INCREASED SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURE.