DESPITE OUR DEPENDENDENCE ON CHEMICALS TO PROTECT PLANTS, DISEASES CONTRIBUTE TO LOSS OF PLANT PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF PLANT PRODUCTS. CULTIVATING PLANTS THAT ARE INHERENTLY RESISTANT TO DISEASES PROVIDES AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAY TO PRODUCE THE FOOD THAT IS NEEDED TO FEED THE WORLD, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND REDUCING COST OF PRODUCTION. WHEAT, WHICH IS ONE OF THE MAJORSOURCE OF DIETARY PROTEIN FOR HUMANS IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS STUDY. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO DETERMINE HOW A WHEAT LOCUS, LPX3,FACILITATES INFECTION BY FUSARIUM GRAMINEARUM, WHICH IS THE LEADING AGENT OF FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT, A DEVASTATING DISEASE OF WHEAT AND OTHER SMALL GRAIN CEREALS, WHICH IMPACTS GRAIN YIELD AND ALSO RESULTS IN THE ACCUMULATION OF MYCOTOXINS. IN ADDITION, THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY HOW KNOCKDOWN OF LPX3 ACTIVITY PROMOTES WHEAT RESISTANCE TO FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT. THE COMPLETION OF THE PROPOSED WORK WILL FILL IMPORTANT GAPS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN WHEAT AND THE FUNGUS AND THE IMPACT OF THE LPX3 LOCUS ON THIS INTERACTION. IN ADDITION, IT WILL PROVIDE FUSARIUM HEAD BLIGHT-RESISTANT GERMPLASMS, WHICHCAN BE UTILIZED TO DEVELOP CULTIVATED WHEAT VARIETIES THAT ARE INHERENTLY RESISTANT TO THIS DEVASTATING DISEASE.