** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** LIVESTOCK AND HAY PRODUCERS ACROSS THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES NEED NOVEL RESILIENT BERMUDAGRASS CULTIVARS THAT CAN STRIVE UNDER CURRENT SCENARIOS OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND EMERGING PESTS TO MEET THE GROWING DEMANDS OF ANIMAL-BASED PRODUCTS. THIS PROPOSAL COMBINES EFFORTS FROM TWO UNIVERSITIES AND THE USDA-ARS REPRESENTING TWO STATES. IT FOCUSES ON SELECTING BERMUDAGRASS GERMPLASM AND PERFORMING ON-FARM TESTS PRIOR TO PUBLIC RELEASES. WE WILL ALSO GENERATE GENOMIC RESOURCES TO SUPPORT GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT, CULTIVAR IDENTIFICATION AND BREEDING. THEREFORE, IT ADDRESSES THE NEEDS OF THE PLANT HEALTH AND PRODUCTION AND PLANT PRODUCTS PROGRAM AREA, SPECIFICALLY FOCUSING ON PLANT BREEDING FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION THROUGH LATER STAGES OF CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT. THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY BENEFITED TREMENDOUSLY FROM BERMUDAGRASS HYBRIDS DEVELOPED SINCE THE 1960'S DUE TO THEIR HIGH YIELDS AND NUTRITIVE VALUE. NOWADAYS, BERMUDAGRASS IS GROWN ON OVER 12 MILLION HECTARES IN THE UNITED STATES. HOWEVER, CULTIVARS DEVELOPED MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO ARE BEING THREATEN BY THE EMERGENCE OF AN INVASIVE PEST, THE BERMUDAGRASS STEM MAGGOT (BSM). THE USDA BERMUDAGRASS COLLECTION AND THREE COMMERCIAL CULTIVARS ARE BEING SCREENED FOR BIOMASS PRODUCTION, NUTRITIVE VALUE AND BSM TOLERANCE ACROSS SIX LOCATIONS IN FOUR STATES. SEVERAL ACCESSIONS EXHIBIT IMPROVED TRAITS AND THEY WILL BE PROPOSED FOR CULTIVAR RELEASE(S). FURTHER, THE STRONG ON-FARM COMPONENT OF THIS PROPOSAL WOULD WARRANT THE ADOPTION OF THESE NOVEL CULTIVARS BY FARMERS. DEVELOPINGGENOMIC RESOURCES IN BERMUDAGRASS WILL BENEFIT GERMPLASM CONSERVATION, CULTIVAR IDENTIFICATION AND BREEDING EFFORTS. A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER WILL BE TRAINED IN QUANTITATIVE GENETICS, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, STATISTICS, AND FIELD-BASED BREEDING.