INSECT PESTS CAUSE SIGNIFICANT PROFIT LOSS FOR PEANUT GROWERS AND SHELLERS IN THE SOUTHEAST, ESPECIALLY FOLIAGE FEEDING CATERPILLARS (FFCS) AND PEANUT BURROWER BUG (PBB). THE PROPOSED PROJECT AIMS TO IDENTIFY NOVEL SOURCES OF RESISTANCE TO FFCS IN PEANUT; INTROGRESS NEW OR UNDER-UTILIZED SOURCES OF FFC RESISTANCE; AND DEVELOP METHODS BY WHICH RESISTANCE TO PBB CAN BE RELIABLY EVALUATED AND QUANTIFIED TO BEGIN SCREENING MATERIAL FOR RESISTANCE. SOME WORK HAS BEEN DONE TO IDENTIFY SOURCES OF FFC RESISTANCE IN WILD PEANUT SPECIES; LITTLE HAS BEEN DONE TO INTROGRESS THEM INTO COMMERCIAL PEANUT CULTIVARS. TO DATE, SEVERAL SOURCES OF RESISTANCE TO FUNGI, VIRUSES, AND NEMATODES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND INTROGRESSED INTO CULTIVATED PEANUT FROM WILD RELATIVES. WE SEEK TO FOLLOW THE SAME RATIONALE FOR IMPROVING RESISTANCE TO INSECTS. ULTIMATELY, OUR HOPE IS TO DEPLOY RESISTANCE TO INSECT PESTS INTO THE COMMERCIAL PEANUT MARKET TO STRENGTHEN PROFITABILITY, REDUCE RELIANCE ON PESTICIDES, AND INCREASE RESILIENCE OF THE SOUTHEASTERN FARMING COMMUNITIES THAT DEPEND SO HEAVILY ON PEANUT PRODUCTION.WE PROPOSE TO ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:1. SCREEN PEANUT WILD SPECIES, AND WILD SPECIES-DERIVED LINES TO IDENTIFY GENOTYPES WITH HIGH LEVELS OF RESISTANCE TO FFCS THAT WILL SERVE AS OPTIMUM TARGETS FOR INTROGRESSION OF RESISTANCE.2. SCREEN PREVIOUSLY-DEVELOPED MAPPING POPULATIONS AND CHROMOSOME SEGMENT SUBSTITUTION LINES TO IDENTIFY QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI CONFERRING RESISTANCE TO FFCS.3. DEVELOP A GREENHOUSE OR LAB ASSAY FOR MEASURING PBB DAMAGE IN A RELIABLE, QUANTIFIABLE MANNER TO FACILITATE IMPROVED GENETIC STUDIES OF RESISTANCE TO PBB AND BEGIN SCREENING GERMPLASM FOR RESISTANCE.