TAR SPOT IS A FUNGAL DISEASE THAT CAUSES BLACK LESIONS ON MAIZE LEAVES. THOUGH IT WAS FIRST DESCRIBED IN MEXICO IN THE EARLY 1900S, IT WASN'T REPORTED IN THE UNITED STATES UNTIL 2015, IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION. THE DISEASE SUBSEQUENTLY SPREAD TO 7 STATES, WITH MULTIPLE REPORTS OF YIELD LOSSES UP TO 50 BU/A. OUR GOALS IN THIS STUDY ARE TO I) IDENTIFY AND VERIFY GENOMIC REGIONS CONTRIBUTING TO TAR SPOT RESISTANCE IN MAIZE, II) MODEL LEVELS OF DISEASE WITH AERIAL SPECTRAL DATA, AND III) PRODUCE, SEQUENCE, AND EVALUATE DOUBLED HAPLOIDS FROM RESISTANT VARIETIES CROSSED TO ELITE TEMPERATE GERMPLASM. WE WILL SCREEN A POPULATION OF 300 DIVERSE TEMPERATE INBREDS AND 200 TROPICAL INTROGRESSION LINES IN THREE GREAT LAKES STATES, WITH SPECTRAL IMAGING IN ONE LOCATION IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A FASTER AND MORE EFFICIENT APPROACH FOR FUTURE SCOUTING AND SCREENING. USING PRELIMINARY DATA AND RESISTANCE SCREENING RESULTS, DOUBLED HAPLOIDS WILL BE CREATED FROM BACKCROSSES OF RESISTANT TO ELITE GERMPLASM. DOUBLED HAPLOIDS WILL BE SEQUENCED FOR MARKER DISCOVERY AND SCREENED IN THE THREE GREAT LAKES STATES TO VALIDATE THE EFFECT OF THE INTROGRESSED GENETIC REGIONS BY RE-ESTIMATING THE EFFECTS OF THE HAPLOTYPE BLOCKS. THIS PROJECT WILL CREATE A VALUABLE RESOURCE FOR FUTURE RESEARCH AND BREEDING THAT WILL BE UTILIZED BY BOTH THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS TO REDUCE THE IMPACT OF TAR SPOT ON FARMERS' PRODUCTIVITY. IT IS DIRECTLY RELEVANT TO THE PROGRAM GOALS OF RESISTANCE TO PESTS AND DISEASES, PRE-BREEDING AND GERMPLASM ENHANCEMENT, APPLIED QUANTITATIVE GENETICS, AND PHENOMICS.