** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** SOYBEAN IS A MAJOR CROP IN US AGRICULTURE, AND PRODUCING HIGHER-QUALITY SOYBEAN LINES IS IMPERATIVE TO GROWING THE SOYBEAN INDUSTRY. HYBRID CROPS BENEFIT FROM HYBRID VIGOR, A PHENOMENON IN WHICH THE OFFSPRING OF GENETICALLY UNIQUE PARENTS EXHIBIT INCREASED GROWTH. THE CREATION OF THESE HYBRIDS IS DIFFICULT IN SOYBEAN SINCE IT IS A HERMAPHRODITIC PLANT THAT SELF-POLLINATES BEFORE IT CAN BE POLLINATED BY A DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL PLANT. THE MAJOR GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE THE EASE WITH WHICH HYBRID SOYBEAN CROSSES CAN BE MADE BY SOYBEAN BREEDERS.SEX CHROMOSOMES HAVE EVOLVED IN PLANTS REPEATEDLY, CONFERRING FEMALENESS OR MALENESS TO INDIVIDUAL PLANTS WITHIN A SPECIES. SUCH PLANTS MUST CROSS-POLLINATE, WHICH LEADS TO THE CREATION OF MORE VIGOROUS HYBRID OFFSPRING. IN THIS PROJECT, I PROPOSE TO ENGINEER SEX CHROMOSOMES IN SOYBEAN, THUS CREATING UNIQUE MALE AND FEMALE SOYBEAN PLANTS. I WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS BY USING MOLECULAR CLONING AND TRANSFORMATION TECHNIQUES TO GENETICALLY MANIPULATE SOYBEAN PLANTS BASED ON OUR KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT CONSTITUTES SEX CHROMOSOMES IN PLANTS. AGAIN USING MOLECULAR CLONING AND TRANSFORMATION TECHNIQUES, I WILL ALSO CREATE A SOYBEAN LINE IN WHICH SEX DETERMINATION WILL BE CONTROLLABLE BY SHINING A RED LIGHT ON THE PLANTS DURING A PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENTAL PHASE--THIS IS A TOOL CALLED OPTOGENETICS. THIS WILL YIELD PLANTS THAT REMAIN HERMAPHRODITES BY DEFAULT, MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO BE DEPLOYED IN FIELDS WITHOUT THE NEED TO BE MONITORED. THIS PROJECT WILL THUS PRODUCE SOYBEAN LINES THAT WILL ENABLE SOYBEAN BREEDERS TO CREATE STRONGER HYBRID LINES, THUS BOLSTERING THE SOYBEAN INDUSTRY.