TEFF HAS SEEN EXPONENTIAL GROWTH OF PRODUCTION IN THE US AS AN ALTERNATIVE GRAIN AND FORAGE CROP BECAUSE OF ITS SUPERIOR NUTRITIONAL QUALITY, CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE, AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE.CULTIVATION OF TEFF FOR FORAGE AND GRAIN HAS INCREASED FROM 5,000 ACRES IN 2004 TO 150,000 ACRES IN 2010 AND AN ESTIMATED 200,000-300,000 ACRES IN 2020. TEFF IS A PREFERRED FORAGE CROP BECAUSE OF ITS FINE AND PALATABLE STEMS, FORAGE QUALITY, SUMMER PRODUCTION, AND DROUGHT TOLERANCE.AS A GRAIN CROP, TEFF IS A POPULAR GLUTEN FREE ALTERNATIVE WITH EXCEPTIONAL IRON, CALCIUM, AND FIBER CONTENT AMONG OTHERS.ALTHOUGH TEFF IS HIGHLY STRESS TOLERANT, IT HAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER YIELDS WHEN GROWN UNDER HIGH INPUT CONDITIONS COMPARED TO OTHER CEREALS AND MILLETS. THE SELECTION FOR DOMESTICATION AND IMPROVEMENT TRAITS SUCH AS LODGING TOLERANCE, SEED SIZE, AND SHATTERING WAS INCOMPLETE IN TEFF, AND THESE ISSUES HAVE SLOWED THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEFF AS A COMMERCIALLY VIABLE CEREAL IN THE US. IN THIS PROJECT, WE AIM TO UNDERSTANDTHE UNDERLYING TRAITS CONTROLLING STRESS TOLERANCE IN TEFF AND THE EFFECTS OF DROUGHT STRESS ON GRAIN QUALITY AND YIELD. THIS PROJECT WILL UTILIZE ADVANCED QUANTITATIVE GENETICS, PHYSIOLOGY, HIGH-THROUGHPUT PHENOTYPING, AND FOOD SCIENCE APPROACHES TO ANSWER COMPLEX FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED RESEARCH QUESTIONS.