**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** ROOT-KNOT NEMATODES (RKNS,MELOIDOGYNESPP.) ARE SOILBORNE PATHOGENS THAT CAUSE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN YEARLY CROP LOSSES WORLDWIDE. RKNS INFECT AND DAMAGE ROOTS OF SPECIALTY AND ROW CROPS. THE PHASING-OUT AND WITHDRAWAL OF FRONT-LINE NEMATICIDES AND EMERGING OF VIRULENT RKN POPULATIONS CAPABLE OF BREAKING NATURAL RESISTANCES HAVE LEFT GROWERS WITH FEW OPTIONS TO MANAGE RKNS. THEREFORE, IT IS NECESSARY TO DEVELOP NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR RKN MANAGEMENT. THE MAJORITY OF ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT RKNS INCLUDING MELOIDOGYNE INCOGNITA(SOUTHERN ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE) REPRODUCE ASEXUALLY BY FEMALES TO PRODUCE EGGS. THE SEXUALLY UNDIFFERENTIATED INFECTIVE SECOND-STAGE JUVENILES (J2S) PENETRATE AND FEED ON PLANT ROOTS. UNDER FAVORABLE CONDITIONS, ALMOST ALL J2S OFM. INCOGNITADEVELOP TO PEAR-SHAPED AND SEDENTARY ADULT FEMALES. ADULT MALES ARE RARE AND NOT NECESSARY FOR REPRODUCTION. INTERESTINGLY, UNDER UNFAVORABLE CONDITIONS, SUCH AS POOR HOST GROWTH, MORE J2S DEVELOP TO MALES. ADULT MALES ARE MOTILE AND LEAVE ROOTS AND DIE IN SOILS AFTER CONSUMING ENERGY RESERVES. THEREFORE, IT IS PROMISING TO REDUCE RKN FIELD POPULATIONS BY INTERFERING WITH NEMATODE SEX DEVELOPMENT AND REPRODUCTION. HOWEVER, MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING RKN SEX DETERMINATION AND DIFFERENTIATION ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN. THEREFORE, THERE IS A CRITICAL NEED TO IDENTIFY GENES ESSENTIAL FOR RKN SEX DEVELOPMENT TO DEVELOP NOVEL METHODS FOR NEMATODE MANAGEMENT. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IDENTIFY GENES OFM. INCOGNITAIMPORTANT FOR ITS SEX DEVELOPMENT AND REPRODUCTION. THESE ESSENTIAL NEMATODE GENES CAN USED AS TARGETS FOR RKN CONTROL TO REDUCE NEMATODE POPULATIONS IN CROP FIELDS.