Sampling Survey and Identification of Races of Soybean Cyst Nematode (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) in Huang-Huai Valleys

Soybean cyst nematode （SCN Heterodera glycines Ichinohe） is one of the most important nationwide soybean diseases in China. A total of 38 soil specimens or locations in the area was sampled and tested for SCN races during 2001-2003 for the inspection of race distribution in Huang-Huai Valleys. A map of race distribution was constructed according to the data from both the present study and the published reports cited. Three areas, namely, the area of southeast to Jinan in Shangdong Province; the area of northern Henan Province and its border region to south of Hebei Province; and the area of Luohe, Zhoukou of Henan Province and Fuyang of Anhui Province mainly infested with Race 1 were identified. Race 4 was predominant in Shanxi Province, Beijing and the adjacent area of Henan, Shandong, and Anhui provinces, and the delta of Huanghe River in Shandong Province. Race 2 was mainly found in Liaocheng, Dezhou of Shangdong Province and Shijiazhuang of Hebei Province, and Jiaozuo and Huojia of Henan Province. Race 7 was distributed in the west part of Jiaodong Peninsula of Shandong Province and Kaifeng, Huaxian, Wenxian of Henan Province. Race 5 was found and scattered in Hebei and Henan Province. Race 9 was found in Shangqiu of Henan Province, which was reported for the first time in China. It can be seen that Race 1 and Race 4 were the two predominant races in Huang-Huai Valleys, and that research should focus on developing resistant cultivars of these races. There might exist other races in an area with some predominant races. The race substitution in the past decade was not obviously found, therefore, the results should be meaningful to future breeding for resistance to SCN in Huang-Huai Valleys.

Soybean cyst nematode-resistance: Gene identification and breeding strategies

Soybean cyst nematode(SCN,Heterodera glycines Ichinohe)is the most economically damaging disease of soybean worldwide,and breeding host plant resistance is the most feasible option for SCN management.In this review,we summarise the progress made so far in identifying nematode-resistance genes,the currently available sources of resistance,possible mechanisms of SCN resistance and strategies for soybean breeding.To date,only two sources of SCN resistance have been widely used,from the accessions PI 88788 and Peking,which has resulted in a shift in SCN resistance and created a narrow genetic base for SCN resistance.These resistant germplasms for SCN are classified into two types according to their copy number variation in a 31-kb genomic region:PI 88788-type resistance requires high copy numbers of a rhg1 resistance allele(rhg1-b)and Peking-type resistance requires both low copy numbers of a different rhg1 resistance allele(rhg1-a)and a resistant allele at another locus,Rhg4.Resistance related to rhg1 primarily involves impairment of vesicle trafficking through disruption of soluble NSF-attachment protein receptor(SNARE)complexes.By contrast,resistance via Rhg4 involves disturbance of folate homeostasis at SCN feeding sites due to alteration of the enzymatic activity of serine hydroxymethyltransferase(SHMT).Other potential mechanisms,including plant defences mediated by salicylic acid(SA)and jasmonic acid(JA)signalling modulation,have also been suggested for SCN resistance.Indeed,genome-wide association studies(GWAS)have identified other candidate SCN resistance genes,such as Gm SNAP11.Although gene functional analysis in a transient expression system could increase the efficiency of candidate gene identification,information on novel genes and mechanisms for SCN resistance remains limited.Any beneficial candidate genes identified might,when fully exploited,be valuable for improving the efficiency of marker-assisted breeding and dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying SCN resistance.