** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE TURFGRASS INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING SEGMENTS OF U.S. AGRICULTURE. WHILE TURFGRASSES ARE COMMONLY APPRECIATED FOR THEIR AESTHETIC AND RECREATIONAL VALUE, THEY ALSO DELIVER NOTABLE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS, E.G., SOIL EROSION PREVENTION, HEAT ISLAND MITIGATION, CARBON SEQUESTRATION, POLLUTANT ABSORPTION, AND NOISE REDUCTION. COLLABORATING WITH 100+ PUBLIC AND PRIVATE TURFGRASS BREEDERS AND COMPANIES WORLDWIDE, THE NATIONAL TURFGRASS EVALUATION PROGRAM (NTEP) CONDUCTS CULTIVAR EVALUATIONS IN 50+ SITES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA (FIG.1), PROVIDING TIMELY, PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE RESEARCH AT WWW.NTEP.ORG. SINCE 1981, NTEP HAS CURATED AN EXTENSIVE DATA REPOSITORY OF MORE THAN 75 TRAITS FOR 20 TURFGRASS SPECIES (MORRIS AND SHEARMAN, 2000), MAKING IT A GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED INDUSTRY STANDARD OF TURFGRASS INFORMATION. NTEP DATA COMPRISES MAINLY VISUAL RATINGS. ALTHOUGH PLANT PHENOTYPING TECHNOLOGIES HAVE MADE SUBSTANTIAL STRIDES, THE COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF VISUAL RATINGS REMAINS FORMIDABLE. MANY TRAITS OF INTEREST ENCOMPASS INTRICATE CHARACTERISTICS THAT AUTOMATED METHODS OFTEN STRUGGLE TO QUANTIFY PRECISELY. ADDITIONALLY, THE DISCERNMENT OF CONSUMER PREFERENCES AND MARKET DEMANDS CONTINUES TO NECESSITATE HUMAN JUDGMENT. WHILE VALUABLE, VISUAL RATING DOES HAVE ITS LIMITATIONS. RATERS MAY INTERPRET TRAITS DIFFERENTLY, LEADING TO INCONSISTENCIES IN RATING, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS NO PROCESS TO ADDRESS RATER BIAS. WITH THE GROWING AVAILABILITY OF MOLECULAR AND GENOMIC DATA, INTEGRATING VISUAL RATINGS WITH THESE DATASETS OFFERS ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES. ADDRESSING THESE CHALLENGES IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY VITAL FOR TURFGRASS RESEARCH. AS DR. LEAH BRILMAN NOTED IN HER SUPPORT LETTER, WE NEED NEW WAYS TO ANALYZE AND REPORT OUR DATA FOR BOTH THE SEED, SOD, GOLF, SPORTS AND LANDSCAPE INDUSTRIES AND FOR THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER. WITH EASILY UNDERSTOOD DATA THE BENEFITS OF NEW GENETICS CAN BE UTILIZED. THIS WILL MAKE OUR GOALS OF UTILIZING IMPROVED TURFGRASSES FOR THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS BUT WITH LESS HIDDEN CARBON COSTS EASIER