** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PHOSPHORUS (P) IS THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT NUTRIENT NEEDED FOR CROP GROWTH, AND THUS PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN MAINTAINING GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY. PHOSPHORUSRAPIDLY BECOMES UNAVAILABLE TO PLANTS DUE TO CHEMICAL REACTIONS, AND HENCE ONLY LESS THAN 20% OF THE PAPPLIED TO SOIL IS AVAILABLE FOR PLANT UPTAKE. THIS NECESSITATES A CONTINUOUS APPLICATION OF HIGH AMOUNT OF P FERTILIZERS TO MAINTAIN CROP PRODUCTIVITY. MORE THAN 90% OF P FERTILIZERS ARE PRODUCED FROM PHOSPHATE ROCKS (PR), A NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE. BASED ON THE CURRENT DEMAND, THE HIGH QUALITY PR THAT ARE LOW IN TOXIC TRACE ELEMENTS ARE PROJECTED TO BE DEPLETED WITHIN THE NEXT 50 YEARS. THUS, THE P-FERTILIZER INDUSTRY WOULD HAVE TO RELY ON LOW-GRADE PR THAT ARE HIGH IN TOXIC TRACE ELEMENTS FOR P FERTILIZER PRODUCTION. THE CURRENT FERTILIZER PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES PASS ON 90% OF CONTAMINANTS IN PR TO THE P-FERTILIZER, THUS THE UTILIZATION OF LOW-GRADE PR AS RAW-MATERIAL WOULD RESULT IN AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF TRACE ELEMENTS ENTERINGTHE AGROECOSYSTEMS. THIS THREATENS THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY. HERE, USING PR FROM FIVE MAJOR MINES IN THE U.S., COUPLED WITH A SERIES OF LAB, GREENHOUSE, AND FIELD EXPERIMENTS, AND GEOCHEMICAL MODELING, THE RESEARCH TEAM SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND THE P UPTAKE OF PLANTS FROM PR. FURTHER, BY MODIFYING THE SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES, THEY PROPOSE TO FORMULATE STRATEGIES THAT WOULD LIMIT THE PLANT UPTAKE OF TOXIC TRACE ELEMENTS FROM PR. TO ACHIEVE THE ABOVE OBJECTIVES, THE RESEARCH TEAM WILL SCREEN CORN ACCESSIONS FOR THEIR DIVERSITY IN P-UPTAKE MECHANISMS, CHARACTERIZE THE ROOT EXUDATION AND THE ASSOCIATED METAL MOBILIZATION POTENTIAL, MODEL THE MOBILIZATION AND MOVEMENT OF P AND TRACE ELEMENTS IN SOIL, AND TEST DIFFERENT COMMERCIAL MICROBIAL FORMULATIONS FOR THEIR ABILITY TO LIMIT THE PLANT UPTAKE OF TRACE ELEMENTS. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WOULD BE ONE OF THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE ATTEMPTS TO UNDERSTAND THE CROP CHARACTERISTICS THAT INADVERTENTLY MOBILIZE TOXIC TRACE ELEMENTS FROM LOW-GRADE PR. USING A CONSORTIUM OF MICROBES TO MOBILIZE P WHILE SEQUESTERING TOXIC TRACE ELEMENTS WOULD NOT ONLY FACILITATE THE SAFE USE OF LOW-GRADE PR IN AGRICULTURE, BUT ALSO TAP INTO THE RESIDUAL SOIL P POOLS, THUS FURTHER ENHANCE THE PHOSPHORUS USE EFFICIENCY OF CROP PRODUCTION SYSTEMS. THE OVERALL OUTCOME OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH IS EXPECTED TO REDUCE THE TRANSPORT OF TRACE ELEMENTS FROM PR BY 50% AND INCREASE THE PHOSPHORUS USE EFFICIENCY OF CROPS BY 30-40%.THE EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL UTILIZATION OF LOW-GRADE PR, WITH SEQUESTRATION OF CONTAMINANT INTO STABLE FORMS, COULD SUSTAINABLY SUPPORT THE $992 BILLION FOOD AND FARMING INDUSTRY.THE OUTCOME OF THE PROJECT WILL BE PRESENTED TO GROWERS THROUGH DEMONSTRATION PLOTS AND WORKSHOPS AND WOULD RESULT IN THE TRAINING FOR STUDENTS AND SCIENTIFIC STAFF.