ENHANCING THE GENETIC DIVERSITY OF WHEAT IS CENTRAL TO ITS GENOMICS-BASED IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES. ALTHOUGH BREAD WHEAT HAS A NARROW GENETIC BASE, ITS WILD AND RELATED SPECIES HOLD SUBSTANTIAL GENETIC DIVERSITY. HOWEVER, MUCH OF THIS DIVERSITY IS LOCKED AWAY IN GENEBANKS AND IS UNAVAILABLE TO BREEDERS. ADVANCES IN GENOMICS RESOURCES AND TOOLS ARE HELPING IN UNLOCKING THE GENETIC DIVERSITY TRAPPED IN THE GENEBANKS TO DEVELOP NEXT-GENERATION CROP VARIETIES. TRITICUM MONOCOCCUM PRESENTS AN EXCELLENT RESOURCE FOR WHEAT IMPROVEMENT FOR MANY BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC STRESSES. IN ADDITION, DOMESTICATED EINKORN WHEAT ITSELF PRESENTS AN EXCITING PROSPECT FOR INCREASING CROP DIVERSITY AS AN ANCIENT GRAIN.THROUGH AN INTERNATIONAL PLANT BREEDING PARTNERSHIP, THIS PROJECT WILL BRING TOGETHER CHROMOSOME-LEVEL REFERENCE ASSEMBLIES OF EINKORN WHEAT, SEQUENCED T. MONOCOCCUM ASSOCIATION-PANEL, K-MER BASED ASSOCIATION-GENETICS, AND COMMUNITY-BASED INTERNATIONAL PHENOTYPING-EXPERTISE TO GENERATE NEW KNOWLEDGE OF NOVEL GENES/ALLELES FOR BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC STRESS TOLERANCE AND DELIVER SEQUENCE INDEXED INTROGRESSIONS IN BREAD WHEAT FOR THEIR DIRECT APPLICATION IN WHEAT BREEDING. AT A TRULY MULTINATIONAL SCALE, THE PROJECT ADDRESSES THE RESEARCH PRIORITIES OF "PLANT BREEDING FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION" (A1141) FOCUSED ON PRE-BREEDING AND GERMPLASM ENHANCEMENT.