The Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council (MSMC) announced a breakthrough discovery that will help strengthen the development of soybean varieties resistant to one of agriculture’s most damaging pests, soybean cyst nematode.
Scientists identified a gene known as GmSNAP14 that plays a key role in how soybean plants respond to soybean cyst nematode infection, the leading cause of soybean yield loss in the United States.
The research, conducted at the University of Missouri and fully funded by MSMC, was recently published in the scientific journal New Phytologist.
Soybean cyst nematode infects soybean roots and quietly reduces yields, often without obvious above-ground symptoms. The pest causes billions of dollars in lost production each year across the United States.
Through bi-parental genetic mapping and high-quality DNA sequencing analysis, the research team identified naturally occurring allelic variants of the GmSNAP14 gene in resistant soybean lines, including Peking, one of the most widely used sources for breeding soybean cyst nematode resistance.
Postdoctoral scientist and lead author of the study, Vinavi Gamage of the University of Georgia, conducted functional characterization, gene expression and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing experiments to clone and confirm the role of GmSNAP14 in conferring resistance. The work was supervised by Melissa Mitchum, Barry Bustillo Distinguished Professor in Plant Nematology.
Click here to see more...