** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CLIMATE CHANGE HAS INFLUENCED GLOBAL RAINFALL AND WATER AVAILABILITY PATTERNS, AFFECTING SOIL CHEMISTRY AND MOISTURE. INCREASED INCIDENCES OF DROUGHT AND UNPRECEDENTED HEATWAVES HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED THE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION FROM THE AGRICULTURAL SOIL- CREATING SOIL SALINIZATION. SOIL SALINITY IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN MAINTAINING A SUSTAINABLE CROP PRODUCTION SYSTEM. THIS HAS AFFECTED APPROXIMATELY 20% OF THE CURRENT ARABLE LAND (ONE-THIRD OF FOOD-PRODUCING). ADAPTING ECO-FRIENDLIER APPROACHES AND UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMIC NATURAL SOIL AND PLANT PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS CAN SOLVE SEVERAL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY ISSUES. ALSO, UTILIZING NATURAL NUTRIENT APPLICATION AND MANAGEMENT CAN IMPROVE CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE, WHICH CAN BE AN IDEAL STRATEGY TO OVERCOME THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. SILICON (SI) - IS A QUASI-ESSENTIAL SOIL ELEMENT WIDELY DISTRIBUTED IN THE EARTH'S CRUST AND ACCESSIBLE TO PLANTS AS SILICIC ACID, WHICH CAN IMPROVE PLANT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW SI CAN INFLUENCE CARBON STORAGE AND CAPTURE IN SALINE AGRICULTURAL SOILS. THIS COMPLEX PROCESS HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY INVESTIGATED IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS; CONVERSELY, IT IS LEAST EXPLAINED IN AGRICULTURAL SOIL SYSTEMS. ALSO, SOIL-BASED CARBON-SI INTERACTIONS DURING PLANT GROWTH AND ITS MOLECULAR PHYSIOLOGY DURING SALINITY STRESS HAVE NOT BEEN WELL KNOWN, ESPECIALLY IN SOYBEAN CROPS. HENCE, THROUGH THIS PROJECT, WE WILL UNDERSTAND HOW SI INTERACTS WITH THE CARBON SEQUESTRATION PROCESS IN THE RHIZOSPHERE DURING SALINITY AND HOW IT IS TRANSLOCATED IN THE ABOVE-GROUND PARTS OF SOYBEAN PLANTS. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ARE: (I) ELUCIDATE THE SI MOBILIZATION AND UPTAKE IN THE RHIZOSPHERE WITH REACTIVE NUTRIENTS AND SEQUESTRATION OF CO2, (II) INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF SI ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR RESPONSES OF SOYBEAN UNDER SALINITY STRESS, (III) DETERMINE THE CO2 SEQUESTRATION PROCESS AND PERFORM PHENOTYPING AND BIOMASS PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT DURING SI APPLICATION. THIS PROJECT WILL USE THE GREENHOUSE AND FIELD-LEVEL EXPERIMENTS ON PLANT-SI-STRESS INTERACTIONS TO IDENTIFY INTERACTIONS WITH CO2 SEQUESTRATION AND NUTRIENT CYCLING IN THE SOIL OF SOYBEAN PLANTS. THE PROJECT ACTIVITIES WILL BE PERFORMED BY THREE MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTIONS, WHICH WILL HELP TO IMPROVE THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES OF UNDER-REPRESENTATIVE STUDENTS IN SOIL BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND MOLECULAR ASSESSMENTS FOR IMPROVING CROP PRODUCTION.