Soybean

Soybean Lines with Superior Resistance to Sclerotinia Stem Rot

Sclerotinia stem rot, caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a major disease of crop plants in the north-central United States and southern Canada. Although soybean cultivars have been identified that show partial resistance to Sclerotinia infection, resistance among commercial varieties is limited. A team of UW-Madison plant pathologists has now selected and developed several soybean lines with high resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot. The team used a highly efficient petiole inoculation technique to evaluate soybean germplasm for resistance to S. sclerotiorum. Once resistant plants were identified, the researchers employed a selection procedure aimed at increasing the frequency of these plants in breeding lines. In this procedure, only seed from plants that survived multiple rounds of petiole inoculation with S. sclerotiorum was used to create breeding populations. These breeding lines can be used to create commercial soybean cultivars with superior resistance to Sclerotinia infection.

BENEFITS:

Provides several soybean lines with superior resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot that can be used to develop commercial cultivars

 

Inventors: Craig R. Grau, Luis Enrique del Rio-Mendoza, Nancy C. Kurtzweil, Angelique J. Peltier

Source: http://warf.wisc.edu/, WARF: P03286US

 

 

Two Novel Soybean Cyst Nematode and Brown Stem Rot Resistant Soybean Lines

Brown stem rot and the soybean cyst nematode are two major afflictions that affect soybeans. The fungus responsible for brown stem rot infects the roots of the plant and then moves to the stem, causing it to rot. Yield losses of 10- to 30-percent are common following infection. The soybean cyst nematode is a small, parasitic round worm that attacks the roots of soybeans. This nematode can be transferred from plant to plant or through infected soil and is almost impossible to eradicate. This invention features two soybean lines that are resistant to brown stem rot and the soybean cyst nematode. The new lines were developed by crossing several soybean lines, challenging them with disease and then selecting for resistance. Each line is more resistant to the soybean cyst nematode than varieties derived from PI 88788, the most common source of soybean cyst nematode resistance in cultivars adapted to the upper Midwest, and also shows better resistance to brown stem rot than currently available lines.

BENEFITS:

More resistant to brown stem rot and the soybean cyst nematode than commercially available soybean lines

Yield and other desirable agronomic characteristics are comparable to commercially available lines

 

Inventors: Craig R. Grau, Nancy C. Kurtzweil

Source: http://warf.wisc.edu/, WARF: P07305US