** 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 BUILD A HOP PANGENOME BY ASSEMBLING GENOME REFERENCES FOR MALE HUMULUS LUPULUS VAR. CORDILFOLIUS AND H. JAPONICUS AND COMBINED WITH THE PREVIOUSLY SEQUENCED MALE VAR. LUPULOIDES LUPULUS AND NEOMEXICANUS WILL REPRESENT THE DIVERSITY IN HUMULUS AND WILL AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF GENOMIC RESOURCES AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SPECIES DIVERSITY (E.G. CNV PAV AND CORE AND DISPENSABLE GENES) AND MOLECULAR MARKERS FOR HOP BREEDING PROGRAMS. MODERNIZING HOP BREEDING PROGRAMS WORLDWIDE WILL REQUIRE NEW GENOMIC TOOLS IN THE FORM OF A PANGENOME AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF GENOTYPE-PHENOTYPE RELATIONSHIPS.THE PANGENOME WILL PROVIDE A KEY ENABLING TOOL THAT WILL RESULT IN IDENTIFYING NOVEL GENES FOR HOP IMPROVEMENT AND SEQUENCE DATA TO DEVELOP A COMMON MARKER PLATFORM FOR FUTURE BREEDING APPLICATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE A HOP PANGENOME WILL PROVIDE A KEY RESOURCE TO DEVELOP MARKERS FOR KEY DISEASE RESISTANCE GENES THAT WILL IMPROVE THE LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF NEW HOP VARIETIES. DEVELOPING NOVEL AND DISEASE RESISTANT CULTIVARS WOULD PROVE ESPECIALLY USEFUL AS THIS WOULD LEAD TO A REDUCTION IN OVERALL PESTICIDE USE WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND STEWARDSHIP AND INCREASED PROFITS FOR US HOP GROWERS. WITH FUNDING FROM THE USDA NIFA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP I WILL DEVELOP AND ASSESS THE UTILITY OF HOP PANGENOMIC RESOURCES.