** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THIS PROJECT AIMS TO IMPROVE AGRONOMIC TRAITS OF PENNYCRESS TO ENHANCE ITS POTENTIAL AS AN EMERGING CASH COVER CROP THROUGH A UNIQUE ACCELERATED BREEDING APPROACH THAT LEVERAGES COMPUTATIONAL SIMULATIONS AND GENE-EDITING TECHNOLOGIES. COVER CROPS CAN REDUCE SOIL EROSION AND IMPROVE SOIL HEALTH, BUT THEY ADOPTION OF COVER CROPPING AS MANAGEMENT PRACTICE IS HINDERED BY IMPLEMENTATION COST AND POTENTIAL CASH CROP YIELD LOSS. PENNYCRESS HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE SOIL HEALTH BENEFITS AND GENERATE 879 LITERS/HA OF SEED OIL THAT CAN BE CONVERTED INTO BIODIESEL AND BIO-JET FUELS. HOWEVER, PENNYCRESS IS ONLY PARTIALLY DOMESTICATED, AND EFFORTS TO IMPROVE AGRONOMIC TRAITS SUCH AS FLOWERING TIME, SEED QUALITY, AND STRESS TOLERANCE ARE ONGOING.TO ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCIALLY VIABLE PENNYCRESS, THIS PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE COMPUTATIONAL PROTEIN SIMULATION METHODS TO IDENTIFY BENEFICIAL VARIANTS TO THE TARGET GENE, THE E1 COMPONENT OF THE ODGH ENZYME COMPLEX, THAT RESULT IN EARLIER FLOWERING TIMES, LARGER SEED SIZES, AND IMPROVED ROOT SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE. POTENTIAL GENE VARIANTS WILL BE INTRODUCED INTO PENNYCRESS PLANTS USING CRISPR-CAS GENE EDITING TECHNOLOGIES TO GENERATE PLANT VARIETIES WITH THE PRECISE GENE VARIANT OF INTEREST. THESE PLANT VARIETIES WILL THEN BE EVALUATED AT SEEDLING STAGE AND AT MATURITY TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF THE GENE EDIT ON PLANT ABOVEGROUND AND BELOWGROUND GROWTH AS WELL AS OIL QUALITY. AGRONOMIC TRAITS SUCH AS FLOWERING TIME AND SEED SIZE WILL ALSO BE MEASURED AND EVALUATED. IMPROVED PENNYCRESS VARIETIES PRODUCED FROM THIS WORK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BRING PENNYCRESS CLOSER TO MARKET AS A CASH COVER CROP AND ENABLE A CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION.