Date of Award

5-1-2017

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Molecular Biology Microbiology and Biochemistry

First Advisor

Fix, Douglas

Second Advisor

Lightfoot, David

Abstract

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines Ichinohe, is the most devastating pathogen of soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merr., causing over $1 billion in yield losses annually in the United States alone. Currently, planting of genetically resistant cultivars is the most commonly employed management strategy. Due to an overuse of genetic resistance derived from the soybean variety ‘PI 88788’, many populations of soybean cyst nematodes are becoming virulent on previously resistant cultivars, urging the understanding and discovery of alternative mechanisms of SCN resistance. In this study, we will delve into the history and epidemiology of Heterodera glycines, learn about the molecular etiology underlying SCN pathogenesis, begin to understand the mechanism of resistance by Peking-type soybeans, and look to discover a novel mechanism of resistance by establishment of a mutagenized population of the soybean variety ‘PI 567516C’.

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