Collaborations with private sector industries played a major part in our research efforts during the reporting period. We are being funded to pursue research in a number of areas of plant improvement, plant/pest interactions and plant responses to the environment. We have established linkages with nine companies, currently funded at more than $440,000. One of us (R. Stout) is Co-PI with the VP of Little Bear Laboratories, Red Lodge, MT, on a proposal investigating bioremediation of heavy metals. We are committed to continuing our collaborations with industry, and envision even more interactions as applied aspects of our research projects mature.