NATURAL WAXES ARE WIDELY USED IN EVERYDAY PRODUCTS, FROM FOOD COATINGS AND COSMETICS TO AUTOMOBILE POLISHES AND INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS. AT PRESENT, THE UNITED STATES RELIES HEAVILY ON IMPORTED CARNAUBA WAX, WHICH IS HARVESTED FROM A SINGLE TYPE OF PALM TREE GROWN IN BRAZIL. THIS CREATES SUPPLY CHAIN VULNERABILITIES, DRIVES UP COSTS, AND PUTS PRESSURE ON CARNAUBA WAX PRODUCTION SYSTEMS. SORGHUM, A DROUGHT-TOLERANT CROP ALREADY GROWN WIDELY IN THE U.S., NATURALLY PRODUCES WAXES ON ITS SEEDS. SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT SORGHUM WAXES COULD PROVIDE A RECURRING, DOMESTIC ALTERNATIVE TO CARNAUBA WAX. HOWEVER, WE CURRENTLY LACK THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF HOW THE SORGHUM PLANT MAKES ITS WAXES AND HOW MUCH USEFUL WAX CAN BE PRODUCED FROM DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF SORGHUM. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO FILL THAT KNOWLEDGE GAP AND SEEKS TO CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR U.S. FARMERS, WHILE REDUCING RELIANCE ON IMPORTS AND SUPPORTING RESILIENT AGRICULTURE.TO ACHIEVE THE AIM DESCRIBED ABOVE, RESEARCHERS INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY HOW WAXES VARY ACROSS HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT SORGHUM VARIETIES, IDENTIFYING WHICH TYPES OF WAXES ARE MOST ABUNDANT AND WHICH GENES CONTROL THEIR PRODUCTION. LABORATORY TECHNIQUES WILL BE USED TO UNDERSTAND HOW SORGHUM MAKES WAX AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL, WHILE ADVANCED CHEMICAL ANALYSES WILL MEASURE WAX COMPOSITION AND PERFORMANCE. THE RESEARCHERS WILL ALSO WORK TO DEVELOP NEW SORGHUM PLANTS THAT PRODUCE HIGHER AMOUNTS OF VALUABLE WAXES. ONCE ENOUGH WAX HAS BEEN COLLECTED, IT WILL BE SHARED WITH INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS TO TEST IN REAL-WORLD PRODUCTS SUCH AS COSMETICS AND COATINGS. ALONGSIDE THIS SCIENTIFIC WORK, STUDENTS WILL RECEIVE HANDS-ON TRAINING IN PLANT BIOLOGY, GENETICS, AND CHEMISTRY, HELPING PREPARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENTISTS.THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO ESTABLISH SORGHUM AS A NEW, RECURRING SOURCE OF NATURAL WAX FOR U.S. INDUSTRIES. IF SUCCESSFUL, THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE FARMERS WITH AN ADDED-VALUE CROP PRODUCT, REDUCE DEPENDENCE ON INTERNATIONAL IMPORTS, PROVIDE EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES FOR U.S. FARMERS AND PROCESSORS, AND CREATE A ROBUST DOMESTIC SUPPLY CHAIN FOR U.S. CONSUMERS AND MANUFACTURERS. IN THE LONG TERM, THIS RESEARCH COULD STRENGTHEN RURAL ECONOMIES, IMPROVE AGRICULTURAL RESILIENCE, AND CONTRIBUTE TO MORE SECURE SUPPLY CHAINS THAT BENEFIT BOTH PRODUCERS AND CONSUMERS.