**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 CONCURRENT INTEGRATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES (E.G., TRANSGENE, GENE EDITING, DOUBLE HAPLOID TECHNIQUE, SYNTHETIC APOMIXIS) INTO BREEDING PROGRAMS IS INSTRUMENTAL IN INCREASING THE RATE OF GENETIC GAIN NECESSARY TO KEEP THE PACE WITH GROWING FOOD DEMAND, CHANGING CLIMATES AND EVOLVING PESTS AND DISEASES.THE DEPLOYMENT OF HETEROSIS IN CROP BREEDING PROGRAMS REPRESENTED A BREAKTHROUGH; HOWEVER, SINCE OFFSPRING CANNOT MAINTAIN THEIR HETEROSIS DUE TO GENETIC SEPARATION OF TRAITS, NEW HYBRID SEEDS NEED TO BE PRODUCED ANNUALLY, WHICH IS LABORIOUS, EXPENSIVE AND NOT FEASIBLE IN A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT CROP SPECIES, INCLUDING WHEAT AND SOYBEAN. SYNTHETIC APOMIXIS OFFERS A SOLUTION TO THE INABILITY TO PRESERVE HETEROSIS. A NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES TO THE CONVENTIONAL TRANSFORMATION SYSTEM HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED TO OVERCOME CURRENT CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH PLANT TRANSFORMATION TO ENABLE DNA-INDEPENDENT EDITING (TRANSGENE-FREE) USING PREASSEMBLED CAS PROTEIN AND GRNA(S) RIBONUCLEOPROTEINS. GENOME EDITING IN WOODY/ORNAMENTAL PLANTS POSES A UNIQUE SET OF CHALLENGES DISTINGUISHING IT FROM ANNUAL CROPS CAUSING SIMILAR LABOR INTENSIVE AND TIME-CONSUMING EVALUATION. THE CONFERENCE GRANT'S GOAL IS TO PROVIDE ATTENDEES WITH THE MOST CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS OF GENOME MODIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES MADE POSSIBLE BY IMPROVEMENT OF GENE EDITING TOOLS DELIVERY, PLANT TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES OPTIMIZATION AND RECENT ADVANCES IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF SYNTHETIC APOMIXIS SYSTEMS. THE INTEGRATION OF CONVENTIONAL/MOLECULAR BREEDING TECHNIQUES WITH GENOME EDITING APPROACHES COULD ADDRESS CURRENT LIMITATIONS ENCOUNTERED DURING CROP IMPROVEMENT FURTHER ENABLING THE INVESTIGATION OF GENE REGULATION NETWORKS, DE NOVO DOMESTICATION OF NEW CROPS FROM WILD RELATIVES, THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW FAVORABLE TRAITS AND THE DISRUPTION OF GENETIC LINKAGES BETWEEN TRAITS.