Resistance to Soybean Cyst Nematode: Mechanistic findings that can be translated

Soybean cyst nematode is consistently the most damaging pathogen of U.S. soybeans, which are the second-largest U.S. crop after maize and a major crop of other nations. Hence there is substantial interest in mechanistic findings about plant resistance to SCN, especially those that can be applied in plant breeding and biotechnological improvement of soybean germplasm. Our group has uncovered non-canonical disease resistance mechanisms that operate against SCN, often by identifying and studying the causal genes at SCN resistance QTLs. Our recent results will be discussed.