CFCRA Soybean Cluster: Activity 6 – Breeding for soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistance using marker assisted selection

Objectives:

• To develop early maturing SCN-resistant varieties adapted to Canadian environments (MG 1-00) using marker assisted selection.

Impacts:

• The identification of new sources of resistance that will be effective against soybean cyst nematode (SCN) populations which are present in Ontario.
• The development of SCN-resistant soybean cultivars adapted to Canadian environments of maturity 00 to 1.
• The continued competitiveness of soybean production in Canada despite the presence of this very serious pest.

Scientific Summary:

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a major soybean pest. It was first reported in Ontario in 1988 and has since been reported in Quebec and Manitoba. Though there are SCN-resistant soybean varieties available in North America, most of these have been bred for later maturities, so there are not as many varieties available for the target maturity zones that exist in Canada (especially in Manitoba and Quebec). More alarmingly, 90% of the SCN-resistant varieties have been developed from a single source of resistance to SCN, namely, PI88788, and some SCN populations are overcoming that source of resistance. The goal of this research activity was to develop early maturing SCN-resistant varieties adapted to Canadian environments (MG 1-00) using marker assisted selection.

Research highlights:

• Since 2018, 156 advanced soybean lines were tested against 2 types of SCN populations, and SCN-resistance was confirmed in 37 of those lines. These lines were derived from first generation crosses, using very exotic material with poor agronomics.
• The promising SCN-resistant lines were then used in second generation crosses to develop more agronomically favorable material.
• Between 2018 and 2023, 67 new second generation crosses were made, and the material is in various stages of development.
• Concurrently, material was genotyped with markers for two main resistance genes (Rhg1 and Rhg4), as well as maturity genes, to increase the allelic frequency of the desired genes and eliminate any plants that are lacking the appropriate maturity or resistance genes. Through this process, approximately 16,800 plants were screened, and marker assisted selection narrowed the pool down to about 3,766 plants that are predicted to have SCN resistance.

External Funding Partners:

This activity was funded in part by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriScience Program, with industry support from the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance (CFCRA) whose members include: Atlantic Grains Council; Producteurs de grains du Quebec; Grain Farmers of Ontario; Manitoba Corn Growers Association; Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers; Saskatchewan Pulse Growers; Prairie Oat Growers Association; SeCan; and FP Genetics.

Project Related Publications:

None.