** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** COTTON IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT FIBER CROP BUT CURRENT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS ARE LIMITED BY CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE. TO INCREASE CROP RESILIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY, COTTON PRODUCTION SYSTEMS MUST ENHANCE APPROACHES TO CONVERT BIOMASS TO BIOENERGY AND LEVERAGE BYPRODUCT UTILIZATION. WE PROPOSE THAT THERE IS AN UNEXPLOITED CACHE OF ECONOMICALLY VALUABLE BAST FIBERS - FIBERS FROM THE INNER BARK OF STEMS - IN UNDERUTILIZED FIELD BIOMASS. TO FULFILL DEMAND IN BAST FIBER MARKETS, COTTON HAS ADVANTAGES SINCE COTTON BAST FIBERS ARE VALUE-ADDED, COST-NEUTRAL BYPRODUCTS OF A MAJOR CROP, RATHER THAN PRIMARY PRODUCTS OF A NICHE CROP, AND PROMISES TO BENEFIT COTTON GROWERS' RETURNS AND REDUCE RELIANCE ON FOSSIL FUEL FEEDSTOCKS FOR DIVERSE TEXTILE APPLICATIONS. WE HAVE THREE INDEPENDENT YET SYNERGISTIC OBJECTIVES. FIRST, WE WILL EVALUATE EXOTIC AND ELITE COTTON GERMPLASM FOR GENETIC DIVERSITY IN BAST FIBER PROPERTIES. SECOND, WE AIM TO IDENTIFY THE DEVELOPMENTAL NETWORKS REGULATING THE VASCULAR CAMBIUM AND TISSUES PRODUCED FROM THIS SECONDARY MERISTEM, INCLUDING WOOD AND BAST FIBERS. THIRD, WE PROPOSE TO MANIPULATE THE DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRESSION OF BAST FIBER FORMATION, THEREBY IMPACTING FIBER QUALITY AND CARBON PARTITIONING. THIS RESEARCH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO BASIC SCIENCE BY UNCOVERING THE GENETIC NETWORKS REGULATING THE FORMATION OF A UNIQUE AND COMPLEX TISSUE, AND WILL DEMONSTRATE EFFECTIVE BYPRODUCT UTILIZATION AND CARBON CAPTURE TO INCREASE COTTON CROP RESILIENCY. OUR PROPOSAL RESPONDS TO AFRI COMMODITY BOARD CO-FUNDING (PROGRAM PRIORITY CODE A1811) TOPIC #9 FOR CO-FUNDING WITH THE COTTON BOARD TO IMPROVE THE CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE OF COTTON PRODUCTION SYSTEMS WITH IMPROVED MODELING AND BYPRODUCT UTILIZATION.