Identification of Soybean (Glycine max) Check Lines for Evaluating Genetic Resistance to Sclerotinia Stem Rot

Soybean production in the upper midwestern United States is affected by Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) caused by the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Genetic resistance is an important management strategy for this disease; however, assessing genetic resistance to S. sclerotiorum is challenging because a standardized method of examining resistance across genotypes is lacking. Using a panel of nine diverse S. sclerotiorum isolates, four soybean lines were assessed for reproducible responses to S. sclerotiorum infection. Significant differences in SSR severity were found across isolates ( P < 0.01) and soybean lines ( P < 0.01), including one susceptible, two moderately resistant, and one highly resistant line. These four validated lines were used to screen 11 other soybean genotypes to evaluate their resistance levels, and significant differences were found across genotypes ( P < 0.01). Among these 11 genotypes, five commercial and public cultivars displayed high resistance and were assessed during field studies across the upper midwestern United States growing region to determine their response to SSR and yield. These five cultivars resulted in low disease levels ( P < 0.01) in the field that were consistent with greenhouse experiment results. The yields were significantly different in fields with disease present ( P < 0.01) and disease absent ( P < 0.01), and the order of cultivar performance was consistent between environments where disease was present or absent, suggesting that resistance prevented yield loss to disease. This study suggests that the use of a soybean check panel can accurately assess SSR resistance in soybean germplasm and aid in breeding and commercial soybean development.