**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** EVERY YEAR, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN REVENUE ARE LOST DUE TO CROP MECHANICAL FAILURE CALLED LODGING. DESPITE THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF LODGING, THERE IS A LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF THE PLANT ARCHITECTURES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO LODGING RESISTANCE. RECENT RESEARCH, HOWEVER, HAS SHOWN THAT ABOVE GROUND ROOTS, CALLED BRACE ROOTS, ARE IMPORTANT IN CROP ANCHORAGE AND LODGING RESISTANCE. THUS, THE GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY THE GENETIC BASIS OF BRACE ROOT DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION WITHIN TWO AGRICULTURALLY IMPORTANT CROPS (ZEA MAYS, COMMONLY KNOWN AS CORN, AND SORGHUM BICOLOR, COMMONLY KNOWN AS SORGHUM). FURTHER, GIVEN THAT CROP PRODUCTION IS MOVING ONTO MARGINAL LANDS, A SECONDARY GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS (SUCH AS SOIL SALINITY) ON BRACE ROOT DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION. THUS, TO MEET THESE GOALS, I WILL: 1) GROW A POPULATION OF SORGHUM GENOTYPES ACROSS TWO YEARS AND COLLECT DATA THAT DESCRIBES THE VARIATION IN BRACE ROOT TRAITS AND FUNCTION WITHIN THE POPULATION, 2) COMPARE RESULTS FROM SORGHUM WITH THOSE OF MAIZE TO DETERMINE IF TRAITS ARE SHARED AMONG IMPORTANT AGRICULTURAL CROPS, 3) PRIORITIZE A LIST OF GENES THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPORTANT BRACE ROOT PHENOTYPES, AND 4) TREAT A POPULATION OF SORGHUM GENOTYPES WITH SALINE WATER AND IDENTIFY HOW BRACE ROOT TRAITS ARE IMPACTED. ULTIMATELY, THE FINDINGS FROM THIS PROJECT ARE NECESSARY FOR BREEDING RESILIENT CROPS AND OPTIMIZING CROP PRODUCTION ON MARGINAL LANDS.