Gardner M, Heinz R, Wang J, Mitchum MG.

G3 (Bethesda). 2017 Jan 6. pii: g3.116.035964. doi: 10.1534/g3.116.035964. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) Heterodera glycines is a major threat to soybean production made more challenging by the current limitations of natural resistance for managing this pathogen. The use of resistant host cultivars is effective but over time results in the generation of virulent nematode populations able to robustly parasitize the resistant host. In order to understand how virulence develops in SCN we utilized a single backcrossed BC₁F₂ strategy to mate a highly virulent inbred population (TN20) capable of reproducing on all current sources of resistance with an avirulent one (PA3) unable to reproduce on any of the resistant soybean lines. The offspring were then investigated to determine how virulence is inherited on the main sources of SCN resistance, derived from soybean lines Peking, PI 88788, PI 90763, and the broad spectrum resistance source PI 437654. Significantly, our results suggest virulence on PI 437654 is a multigenic recessive trait that allows the nematode to reproduce on all current sources of resistance. In addition, we examined how virulence on different sources of resistance interact by placing virulent SCN populations under secondary selection and identified a strong counter-selection between virulence on PI 88788- and PI 90763-derived resistances, while no such counter-selection existed between virulence on Peking and PI 88788 resistance sources. Our results suggest that the genes responsible for virulence on PI 88788 and PI 90763 may be different alleles at a common locus. If so, rotation of cultivars with resistance from these two sources may be an effective management protocol.

See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28064187

Figure 2: Outselected inbred populations from a cross between PA3 x TN20. Females successful on each of the lines in the F2 SCN HG type test were used to generate SCN inbred populations MM7-MM14 through mass selection for a minimum of 72 generations on each indicator line.