AN INVASIVE POLEROVIRUS, COTTON LEAFROLL DWARF VIRUS (CLRDV) IS AN EMERGING THREAT TO COTTON IN THE UNITED STATES. CLRDV IS TRANSMITTED BY THE COTTON APHID, APHIS GOSSYPII, AND POSSIBLY OTHER VECTOR SPECIES. THERE IS A WEALTH OF DATA ON POLEROVIRUSES AS A RESULT OF STUDIES ON POTATO LEAFROLL VIRUS AND THE YELLOW DWARF VIRUSES. OUR TEAM IS IN A STRONG POSITION TO BRING THIS KNOWLEDGE TO BEAR ON CLRDV. THE IMPACT OF CLRDV ON COTTON PRODUCTION IS CURRENTLY UNKNOWN, AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ARE NONEXISTENT. NEW APPROACHES TO CONTROL THE SPREAD OF CLRDV, SUCH AS BLOCKING APHID TRANSMISSION, ARE NEEDED TO AUGMENT EXISTING MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. IN DEPTH STUDIES ON CLRDV ARE NEEDED TO VALIDATE THAT THIS VIRUS BEHAVES SIMILARLY TO OTHER POLEROVIRUSES. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL SOLVE THE MACROMOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF THE CLRDV STRUCTURAL PROTEIN THAT REGULATES APHID TRANSMISSION AND DEVELOP TOOLS - TRANSGENIC COTTON AND AN ANTIBODY TEST - THAT WILL PROTECT THE CROP FROM APHID TRANSMISSION OF CLRDV. WE WILL USE PROTEOMICS TO IDENTIFY PLANT AND APHID PROTEINS THAT BIND TO CLRDV, WHICH IS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS GENERATING GENOME-EDITED, CLRDV-RESISTANT COTTON. A MAJOR CONCERN FOR THE INDUSTRY IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES, INCLUDING TESTING AND MITIGATION, WHICH ARE THE FOCI OF OUR PROPOSAL.