WHILE CROP DOMESTICATION HAS RESULTED IN MORE PRODUCTIVE PLANTS CARRYING DESIRABLE CHARACTERISTICS, IT ALSO REDUCED GENETIC DIVERSITY. OUR CURRENT AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS RELY ON MAINTAINING PERFORMANCE WITHIN A HANDFUL OF SPECIES, NEGLECTING THE CLIMATE RESILIENCE POTENTIAL OF ORPHAN CROPS AND LANDRACES. TEPARY BEAN (PHASEOLUS ACUTIFOLIUS) IS AN ORPHAN CROP NATIVE TO ARID AND SEMI-ARID REGIONS OF SOUTHWESTERN U.S., NORTHWESTERN MEXICO, AND CENTRAL AMERICA. ALTHOUGH TEPARY BEAN IS RECOGNIZED FOR ITS ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS RESILIENCE, THE STRESS RESILIENCE MECHANISMS REMAIN UNDER-EXPLOITED. THE MAIN GOAL OF THE PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A WELL-GENOTYPED NATURAL DIVERSITY PANEL CONSISTING OF 400 VIRUS-FREE PURE LINES. ADDITIONALLY, THE POPULATION WILL BE EVALUATED UNDER CONTROLLED AND FIELD CONDITIONS FOR THEIR MORPHOLOGICAL, PHYSIOLOGICAL, AND AGRONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS UNDER WELL-WATERED AND DROUGHT STRESS CONDITIONS. THE PROJECT OUTPUTS WILL BE AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE FOR BREEDING PROGRAMS FOCUSING ON INCREASING ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE AS WELL AS IMPROVING THE PRODUCTIVITY OF TEPARY BEANS. IT WILL ALSO SERVE AS A RESOURCE FOR IMPROVING COMMON BEANS FOR BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC STRESS TOLERANCE. BY DEVELOPING THIS RESOURCE, WE AIM TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FURTHER DIVERSIFICATION OF THE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM AND MAKE IT MORE RESILIENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS AGGRAVATED BY CLIMATE CHANGE AND LOW FRESHWATER AVAILABILITY.