** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CALIFORNIA'S AVOCADO INDUSTRY, A $400 MILLION CORNERSTONE OF THE STATE'S AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, FACES A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE - AVOCADO SUNBLOTCH VIROID DISEASE (ASBVD). THIS INSIDIOUS PATHOGENSILENTLY INFECT AVOCADO TREES, OFTEN WITHOUT OUTWARD SYMPTOMS. THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES ARE DEVASTATING, WITH INFECTED TREES EXPERIENCING SUBSTANTIAL YIELD REDUCTION. CURRENT METHODS FOR DETECTING ASBVD ARE IMPEDED BY THEIR COMPLEXITY AND TIME-CONSUMING NATURE, RENDERING THEM IMPRACTICAL FOR LARGE-SCALE MONITORING EFFORTS. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS TO DEVELOP A TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT LEVERAGES A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF CUTTING-EDGE TOOLS, INCLUDING ULTRA-SENSITIVE NANOPROBES, THE REVOLUTIONARY CRISPR GENE-EDITING TECHNIQUE, AND HIGH-THROUGHPUT LAB-ON-A-CHIP DEVICES. THIS INNOVATIVE SYSTEM HAS THE REMARKABLE POTENTIAL TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ANALYZE HUNDREDS OF AVOCADO SAMPLES WITHIN MINUTES, DETECTING ASBVD AT INCREDIBLY LOW CONCENTRATIONS. THE BENEFITS OF THIS INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGYEXTEND FAR BEYOND THE SAFEGUARDING OF CALIFORNIA'S AVOCADO INDUSTRY. ITHAS THE POTENTIAL TO SERVE AS A MODEL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RAPID, RELIABLE, AND COST-EFFECTIVE DETECTION METHODS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF PLANT AND ANIMAL DISEASES, CONTRIBUTING SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL DISEASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.