**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** RICE IS A STAPLE FOOD FOR MORE THAN HALF OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION. GLOBALLY, RICE PRODUCTION MUST INCREASE TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY FOR NINE BILLION PEOPLE BY 2050 IN THE FACE OF INCREASING WEATHER EVENTS, INCLUDING MORE FREQUENT AND HEAVIER PRECIPITATION. MOST RICE PRODUCTION IN THE U.S. IS DIRECT-SEEDED AND ADDRESSING CONSTRAINTS IN THIS SYSTEM IS ESSENTIAL TO PROVIDING ROBUST CROP ESTABLISHMENT LEADING TO HIGHER YIELDS. AT THE SAME TIME, DIRECT-SEEDED RICE (DSR) IS BEING RAPIDLY ADOPTED ACROSS MANY RAINFED AND IRRIGATED ECOSYSTEMS IN TRADITIONALLY TRANSPLANTED AREAS IN SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIA DUE TO WATER SHORTAGES AND THE HIGH LABOR COST OF MANUAL TRANSPLANTING. ONE OF THE KEY TRAITS TO IMPROVE DSR PRODUCTION IS TOLERANCE OF FLOODING DURING GERMINATION OR ANAEROBIC GERMINATION (AG). AG TOLERANCE IS NEEDED TO PREVENT POOR CROP EMERGENCE AND ESTABLISHMENT DUE TO FREQUENT RAINFALL, UNLEVELED FIELDS, AND POOR DRAINAGE. TOGETHER WITH OUR COLLABORATOR FROM THE INTERNATIONAL RICE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IRRI), PHILIPPINES, WE RECENTLY IDENTIFIED TWO MAJOR AG QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI (QTL) FROM THE RICE LANDRACE KALARATA. WE PROPOSE TO REFINE THE AG QTL REGIONS, IDENTIFY THE KEY GENE(S) AND INVESTIGATE HOW IT WORKS TO PROVIDE TOLERANCE, AND INTRODUCE THE TWO AG QTLS INTO U.S. GERMPLASM, ALONG WITH ANOTHER PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MAJOR AG QTL (AG1) AND SUB1, PROVIDING PROTECTION TO COMPLETE SUBMERGENCE DURING GERMINATION AND VEGETATIVE STAGE. THE MAJOR OUTCOMES WILL BE REFINED AG QTL REGIONS FOR MORE PRECISE MARKER-ASSISTED BREEDING, IMPROVED RICE LINES WITH AG TOLERANCE TARGETTED FOR U.S. RICE FARMING AND BEYOND, AND KNOWLEDGE OF FUNCTIONAL GENES TO ASSIST GERMINATING RICE TO THRIVE IN THE FACE OF INCREASING FLOODING EVENTS.