** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PHENOTYPIC TRAITS OF COTTON FIBERS, INCLUDING BIOLOGICAL FINENESS AND RIBBON SHAPE (MATURITY LEVEL), PROVIDE MEASURES OF FIBER QUALITY WHICH ARE NEEDED FOR COTTON IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS. THE CURRENT FIBER TESTING METHODS ARE UNABLE TO PROVIDE BOTH RAPID AND ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS OF INDIVIDUAL FIBERS. IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL DEVELOP A MICROSCOPE-BASED IMAGING SYSTEM TO PRODUCE HIGH-FIDELITY IMAGES AND 3D SURFACE MAPS OF FIBERS IN THE LONGITUDINAL VIEW, PERMITTING QUICK SAMPLE PREPARATIONS AND HIGH-THROUGHPUT FIBER PHENOTYPING. THE SYSTEM WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH A NEWLY MODIFIED PNEUMATIC CUTTER THAT CAN CUT AND SPREAD FIBER SNIPPETS ONTO A SLIDE IN SECONDS, AND A LIGHT MICROSCOPE WITH A 3-AXIS MOTORIZED STAGE AND HIGH-RESOLUTION DIGITAL CAMERA TO AUTOMATE POSITIONING THE SLIDE AND FOCUSING THE IMAGES. THE SOFTWARE WILL BE CUSTOMIZED BY ADOPTING DEEP LEARNING AND IMAGE FUSION ALGORITHMS TO AUTOMATICALLY CLASSIFY RIBBON SHAPES, SCAN RIBBON PROFILES, AND CALCULATE PHENOTYPIC FEATURES IN THE 3D SPACE. TWO DIVERSITY PANELS OF COTTON (GOSSYPIUM SPECIES AND UPLAND) WILL BE GROWN TO VALIDATE THE FIBER PHENOTYPIC MEASUREMENTS OF THE PROPOSED SYSTEM BY COMPARING THEM WITH THOSE FROM TRADITIONAL TESTING SYSTEMS. A SUCCESSFUL 3D PHENOTYPING TOOL WILL ENABLE COTTON GENETICISTS TO MEASURE THE TRAITS OF FIBER FINENESS AND RIBBON SHAPE WITH A SPEED CONSISTENT WITH THE SHORT TIMEFRAME AVAILABLE FOR MAKING DECISIONS IN A COTTON BREEDING PROGRAM. THE PROPOSAL IS SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THE COMMODITY BOARD TOPIC #2 DEVELOP ADVANCED, HIGH-THROUGHPUT, VISUAL FIBER PHENOTYPING MICROSCOPY TOOLS THAT ULTIMATELY LEAD TO SUPERIOR COTTON FIBER QUALITY.