Rhg1 alleles from soybean PI 437654 and PI 88788 respond differentially to isolates of Heterodera glycines in the greenhouse.

The production of resistant soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars is the most effective means for controlling losses from soybean cyst nematode (SCN) (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe). The major resistance gene in most SCN resistance sources is rhg1, which has been mapped as a quantitative trait locus onto linkage group G. Our objective was to determine whether the SCN resistance sources PI 437654 and PI 88788 have different functional alleles at rhg1 based on resistance phenotypes. Populations segregating for resistance alleles at rhg1 from both PI 88788 and PI 437654 and at Rhg4, a second SCN resistance gene from PI 437654, were developed. These populations were screened for resistance to the H. glycines inbred isolates PA3 (HG type 7) and TN14 (HG type 1.2.5.7) in the greenhouse and evaluated with molecular markers linked to both rhg1 and Rhg4. Each isolate test was repeated, and the evaluations were done on a single-plant and a line-mean basis in Test 1, and solely on a single-plant basis in Test 2. Across two tests with the TN14 isolate, plants with the PI 437654 allele for a marker linked to rhg1 had significantly (P<0.0001) less SCN reproduction than plants carrying the PI 88788 allele. A marker linked to Rhg4, however, was not significantly associated with resistance to TN14. Across two tests with the PA3 isolate, alleles of rhg1 from both sources gave a resistant reaction, although plants homozygous for the PI 88788 allele had significantly (P<0.05) greater resistance than plants with the PI 437654 allele. The marker allele from PI 437654 linked to Rhg4 was significantly (P<0.0005) associated with greater resistance than the PI 88788 allele in both PA3 tests, and resistance was dominant. There was a significant interaction between alleles at rhg1 and Rhg4 in both PA3 tests. These results suggest that PI 437654 and PI 88788 each have a different functional SCN resistance allele at or close to rhg1. These allelic differences have implications that breeders should consider before incorporation into cultivars.