**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** QUINOA IS A NUTRITIOUS ANDEAN GRAIN THAT HAS DRAMATICALLY INCREASED IN INTERNATIONAL POPULARITY OVER THE PAST DECADE. UNFORTUNATELY, QUINOA WAS DOMESTICATED AT HIGH ELEVATIONS IN THE TITICACA BASIN OF THE ANDEAN ALTIPLANO AND THEREFORE DOESN'T GROW WELL IN LOWLAND TROPICAL, SUBTROPICAL, AND WARM-SEASON TEMPERATE PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENTS, INCLUDING THOSE FOUND IN THE U.S. IN ORDER TO IMPROVE QUINOA PRODUCTION IN THE U.S. AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, NEW VARIETIES ARE NEEDED THAT ARE ABLE TO TOLERATE THE NEW STRESSES THAT QUINOA WILL UNDOUBTEDLY ENCOUNTER AS ITS CULTIVATION SPREADS. THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INTRODUCE NEW GENETIC DIVERSITY INTO QUINOA FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL QUINOA BREEDING PROGRAMS. TO DO THIS, WE WILL TAKE TWO GENERAL APPROACHES: FIRST, CROSS QUINOA WITH WILD RELATIVES THAT ALREADY GROW WELL THROUGHOUT THE U.S. IN REGIONS IN WHICH QUINOA DOES NOT GROW WELL; AND SECOND, INDUCE MUTATIONS IN QUINOA THAT CAN HELP CREATE NEW VARIATION IN TRAITS OF INTEREST. THESE NEW QUINOA MATERIALS WITH INCREASED GENETIC DIVERSITY WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO BREEDERS AND GROWERS WHO CAN USE THEM TO DEVELOP NEW QUINOA VARIETIES THAT ARE ADAPTED TO ENVIRONMENTS IN WHICH QUINOA DOES NOT CURRENTLY GROW WELL.