** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** INCREASING GLOBAL DEMAND FOR FOOD HAS NECESSITATED THE GROWING EXTERNAL CHEMICAL INPUT TO SUSTAIN AND IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY IN THE PAST CENTURY. HOWEVER, THIS APPROACH IS NOT SUSTAINABLE DUE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION CAUSED BY THE EVERINCREASING ACCUMULATION OF AGRICHEMICALS IN THE ENVIRONMENT. WITH THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN THE PAST DECADES WHICH HAS DRAMATICALLY CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE OF MODERN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, THE APPLICATION OF NANOTECHNOLOGY, OR THE INCORPORATION OF NANOPARTICLES INTO AGRICHEMICAL FORMULAHAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR DUE TO THEIR HIGH REACTIVITY, SLOW RELEASING OF CRITICAL NUTRIENTS WHICH ENHANCES THEIR UTILIZATION RATE AND MANY OTHER BENEFITS. HOWEVER, AS ANY OTHERAGRICHEMICALS, BROAD APPLICATIONS OF NANOAGRICHEMICALS WILL RESULT IN THEIR GRADUAL BUILDUP IN AGRICULTURAL SOILS WHICH MAY NEGATIVELY AFFECT SOIL QUALITY AND FERTILITY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF NANOAGRICHEMICALS ON SOIL QUALITY AND CROP YIELD IS STILL POORLY UNDERSTOOD EVEN THOUGH SOME SHORT-TERM STUDIES HAVE BEEN PERFORMED, WHICH SIGNIFICANTLY HINDERS THE POTENTIAL BENEFICIAL APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN AGRICULTURE. THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO UNDERSTAND THE LONG-TERM, MULTIGENERATIONAL IMPACT OFTWO AGRICULTURALLY RELEVANT METAL OXIDE NANOPARTICLES: ZINC OXIDE AND COPPER OXIDE NANOPARTICLES, AND THEIR TRANSFORMED PRODUCTS ON THE HEALTH OF RICE PADDY SOILS AND RICE YIELD. RICE IS CHOSEN AS OUR MODEL CROPBECAUSE IT IS A STAPLE FOOD CROP GLOBALLYAND A KEY SOURCE OF EXPORT IN SEVERAL SOUTHERN STATES.WELL CONTROLLED GREENHOUSE STUDIES WILL BE PERFORMED OVER FOUR GENERATIONS OF RICE GROWING IN PADDY SOILS TREATED WITH DIFFERENT NANOPARTICLES AND THEIR TRANSFORMED PRODUCTS AT DIFFERENT SCENARIOS. AT THE END OF EACH GENERATION, SOIL AND PLANT SAMPLES WILL BE COLLECTED. CRITICAL SOIL CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS THAT INDICATE SOIL HEALTH WILL BE ANALYZED. FOR PLANT SAMPLES, THE PLANT BIOMASS, GRAIN YIELD, GRAIN QUALITY AS WELL AS IMPORTANT NUTRIENT AND METAL CONTENTS IN RICE GRAINS WILL BE MEASURED. THE RESULTS WILL SHED LIGHT ON THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF NANOAGRICHEMICALS ON SOIL HEALTH AND CROP YIELD, A CRITICAL NEED BEFORE NANOTECHNOLOGY CAN BE FULLY EMBRACED IN AGRICULTURE. IN ADDITION, MACHINE LEARNING WILL BE EMPLOYED TO ESTABLISH POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE PROPERTIES OF NANOAGRICHEMICALS AND THEIR LONG-TERM IMPACT ON SOIL HEALTH AND CROP YIELD, GENERATING IMPORTANT INSIGHT INTO THE BENEFICIAL USES OF NANOAGRICHEMICALS WHILE AVOIDING THEIR HARMFUL EFFECTS.