**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** DROUGHT IS A SEVERE STRESS THAT REDUCES CROP YIELDS AND DROUGHT EVENTS ARE PREDICTED TO BECOME INCREASINGLY COMMON DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE. IMPROVING CROP RESILIENCE TO DROUGHT IS THUS CRITICAL TO ENSURING FOOD SECURITY IN THE US AND GLOBALLY. RICE PRDOCUTION IS PARTICULARLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO DROUGHT AS RICE CULTIVATION IS WATER INTENSIVE AND RICE PLANTS HAVE POOR RESILIENCE TO WATER DEFICIT COMPARED TO OTHER CEREAL CROPS. IN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, PLANT ROOTS FORM CLOSE ASSOCIATIONS WITH SOIL MICROORGANISMS THAT CAN IMPACT PLANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND RESILIENCE TO STRESSES, INCLUDING DROUGHT. UNDERSTANDING HOW THE COMPOSITION OFSOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES CHANGE DURING DROUGHT AND INFLUENCE PLANT DROUGHT RESILIENCE ENABLES THE ABILITY TO LEVERAGE THESE NATURALLY-OCCURRING ASSOCIATIONS FOR IMPROVED CROP PRODUCTIVITY DURING SEVERE CLIMATIC STRESSES. INTEGRATING LARGE GENOMIC-SCALE DATASETS THAT INCLUDES THE MICROBIOME AS WELL AS CHANGES IN PLANT GENE EXPRESSION WILL BE USED FORTHE DISCOVERY OF KEY PLANT GENES THAT MEDIATE CHANGES IN ROOT-ASSOCIATED MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES AND CAN THUS BE USED AS TARGETS FOR THE ENGINEERING OR BREEDING OF CROPS THAT SUCCESFULLY RECRUIT BENEFICIAL, NATIVE MICROBES. FINALLY, UNDERSTANDING HOW PLANT PHYSIOLOGY IS ALTERED BYMICROBIAL ASSOCIATIONS PROVIDES THE INSIGHT NEEDED TO ENGINEER OR BREED CROP VARIETIES THAT MAXIMIZE THE BENEFIT OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS DURING DROUGHT.