** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** HARD WINTER WHEAT PRODUCTION IN THE GREAT PLAINS IS CHALLENGED BY MULTIPLE DISEASES AND MOST IMPORTANTLY STRIPE RUST, LEAF RUST, SEPTORIA NODORUM BLOTCH (SNB), AND SOME VIRAL DISEASES. OUR FIRST OBJECTIVE IS TO IDENTIFY DISEASE RESISTANCE GENES IN GREAT PLAINS HARD WINTER WHEAT TO LEAF RUST, STRIPE RUST, AND SNB. MAPPING RESISTANCE GENES TO THESE HIGHLY DAMAGING DISEASES WILL ENABLE THE DEVELOPMENT OF MOLECULAR MARKERS FOR USE IN MARKER-ASSISTED BREEDING. GENOTYPING BY SEQUENCING, ASSOCIATION MAPPING, BI-PARENTAL POPULATION MAPPING, AND COMPETITIVE ALLELE SPECIFIC PCR (KASP) MARKERS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED TO MAP AND IDENTIFY RUST AND SNB RESISTANCE GENES. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP A HIGH-THROUGHPUT PHENOTYPING (HTP) PIPELINE TO SPEED LARGE-SCALE SELECTION FOR BARLEY YELLOW DWARF RESISTANCE IN BREEDING PROGRAMS. MULTISPECTRAL AND HYPERSPECTRAL CAMERAS ATTACHED TO UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES AND STATISTICAL MODELING WILL BE USED TO DEVELOP A HTP SYSTEM TO ENABLE RAPID AND UNBIASED IN-FIELD SELECTION FOR BARLEY YELLOW DWARF RESISTANCE. OUR THIRD OBJECTIVE IS TO IDENTIFY THE OCCURRENCE AND DIVERSITY OF VIRUSES INFECTING WHEAT IN OKLAHOMA USING ELECTRONIC-PROBE DIAGNOSTIC NUCLEIC ACID ANALYSIS. ROUTINE SURVEILLANCE OF WHEAT VIRUSES IS ESSENTIAL FOR INFORMED DECISIONS ON CULTIVAR RELEASE. OUR FOURTH OBJECTIVE FOCUSES ON THE INTEGRATION OF RESEARCH WITH TRAINING OF WHEAT GROWERS, STAKEHOLDERS, COUNTY EDUCATORS, AND STUDENTS ON WHEAT DISEASE DIAGNOSIS AND EFFECTIVE DISEASE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. THIS PROJECT COLLABORATES WITH OTHER PUBLIC WHEAT BREEDING PROGRAMS IN OKLAHOMA, KANSAS, AND WASHINGTON. THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVED WHEAT PRODUCTION IN THE US AND GLOBALLY.