THERE ARE CONSIDERABLE CHALLENGES TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY AND ECONOMIC STABILITY IN A FUTURE MARKED BY INCREASED DEMAND FROM A GROWING POPULATION AND LESS FAVORABLE CLIMATES.NEW AND IMPROVED CROP VARIETIES ARE NEEDED TO MEET THIS CHALLENGE, AND GENETIC DIVERSITY IS THE 'RAW MATERIAL' FOR BUILDING BETTER AND STRONGER VARIETIES.WHEAT IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT CROPS--PROVIDING NEARLY A QUARTER OF ALL CALORIES AND PROTEIN ON THE PLANET.THOUGH WHEAT ITSELF IS MARKED BY LOW GENETIC DIVERSITY, THE WILD RELATIVES OF WHEAT ARE A STOREHOUSE OF VALUABLE TRAITS FOR DISEASE RESISTANCE, STRESS TOLERANCE, AND YIELD POTENTIAL.ONE SUCH IMPORTANT RESERVOIR THAT REMAINS LARGELY UNTAPPED AND INACCESSIBLE TO BREEDERS IS THE WHEAT WILD RELATIVEAEGILOPS SPELTOIDES.TO UNLOCK THE GENETIC DIVERSITY FOUND INAE. SPELTOIDES, THIS PROJECT WILL COMPLETE A HIGH-QUALITY REFERENCE GENOME ASSEMBLY, GENOMIC RESOURCES AND TOOLS THAT WILL SIMULTANEOUSLY BE LEVERAGED FOR RAPID CHARACTERIZATION OFAE.SPELTOIDESINTROGRESSIONS IN BREAD WHEAT (TRITICUM AESTIVUM).TO MOST EFFECTIVELY UTILIZE THE DIVERSITY FROMAE. SPELTOIDES, WE WILL CHARACTERIZE THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF GLOBAL COLLECTIONS OFAE. SPELTOIDESAND OPTIMIZE WORKING CORE COLLECTIONS.WE WILL UTILIZE HIGH-THROUGHPUT SKIM-SEQUENCING WITH THE COMBINED GENOMIC RESOURCES OF WHEAT AND AE. SPELTOIDES TO RAPIDLY AND PRECISELY DELIMIT TRANSLOCATIONS. THE ASSESSMENT OF INTROGRESSION LINES WITH HIGH-THROUGHPUT GENOME SEQUENCE IN THIS PROJECT WILL AFFORD BREEDERS WITH THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO LEVERAGE THE DIVERSE GERMPLASM IN BREEDING PROGRAMS.THESE PROJECT OBJECTIVES BUILD TOWARD A VISION OF THE WHEAT COMMUNITY RAPIDLY DEVELOPING IMPROVED VARIETIES WITH GENETIC DIVERSITY FROMAE. SPELTOIDES.TO REACH THIS VISION, WE HAVE A DYNAMIC INTERNATIONAL TEAM INCLUDING THE U.S. AND ISRAEL, BRIDGING RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE ACROSS THE COLLABORATION, AND SPANNING THE CENTER OF ORIGIN OF WHEAT AND THE CONTEMPORARY PRODUCTION OF WHEAT.