WOOSTER, Ohio A new
soybean gene, showing resist
ance to Phytophthora root rot,
has been identified the first
time in nearly 20 years a gene
exhibiting effectiveness against
the disease has been discovered.
Ohio State University plant
pathologists and soybean breed
ers, who made the discovery,
have named the new gene RpsB.
The germplasm containing the
gene will be licensed for breed
ing purposes.
Anne Dorrance, an Ohio State
plant pathologist with the Ohio
Agricultural Research and De
velopment Center, said the dis
covery is a “major find” in the
war against Phytophthora root
rot. She emphasized, however,
that at least another year of
work needs to be completed
before it can be determined just
how effective the new gene is in
protecting cultivars in the field.
“This is a big discovery over a
just seven-year span of re
search,” said Dorrance. Ohio
State researchers have been
screening soybean germplasm
lines searching for that “dia-
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New Root Rot-Resistant Soybean Gene Discovered
mond in the rough” since the
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“Preliminary research results
indicate that the new gene is ef
fective against Phytophthora
isolates collected from 50 loca
tions in Ohio,” said Dorrance.
“Only one isolate per field was
tested, so there is still much
more work that needs to be done
to see if the gene is effective
against the majority of pathogen
populations in the field, of
which there could be thou
sands.”
Despite the work cut out for
them, researchers are excited
about the preliminary test re
sults. Effectiveness against mul
tiple isolates could breathe new
life into the struggle to control
Phytophthora that growers are
slowly losing.
Previous Ohio State research
has shown that Phytophthora
populations in Ohio soybean
fields are adapting to plants car
rying root rot resistant genes,
specifically Rpsla, Rpslb,
Rpslc, Rpslk, Rpsßa and Rps 6.
These single genes are available
in commercial cultivars.
Researchers found in Phyto-
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phthora isolates collected from
soybean production fields in
Ohio, that 95 percent of the
fields sampled killed plants con
taining Rpsla gene; 65 percent
containing Rpslb; 73 percent
containing Rpslc; 78 percent
containing Rpslk; 51 percent
containing Rps3a; and 52 per
cent containing Rps 6.
“Phytophthora root rot is the
single biggest threat to soybean
production. Reduction in yield
from the disease can range any
where from five to 30 bushels
per acre depending on the resist
ance package in the variety. If a
million acres of soybeans were
infected by this pathogen, that
could mean a loss of $l2O mil
lion for the farmer,” said Dor
rance. “If this new gene proves
to be effective against a broad
population, it could last any
where from eight to 20 years.
We are hoping to boost the effec
tiveness to last 25-30 years by
combining this gene with Rps
genes that have been used in the
past, plus partial resistance.”
Phytophthora sojae causes
soybean root rot and is a major
problem in Midwest states
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which have heavy clay soils,
such as Ohio. Heavy rains satu
rate the soil producing areas of
standing water, which provide
the perfect environment for the
pathogen to infect plant roots.
The pathogen grows in the roots
and into the plant stem, eventu
ally killing the plant.
“Fungal root rots represent a
primary production constraint
for soybeans in Ohio. This dis
covery represents a major break
through in protecting soybeans
against root rot,” said Steve
Slack, OARDC director. “I am
pleased that the commitment to
scientific excellence and leader
ship in soybean research at The
Ohio State University has led to
this critical find.”
The new gene was found in a
traditional South Korean soy
bean variety, after researchers
evaluated over 1,000 soybean
plant introductions found in
other countries. The importance
behind the discovery is not only
of a gene that shows resistance
to root rot, but using molecular
techniques, the gene has been
found on a completely new area
of the soybean genome. The new
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position makes it easier for re
searchers to breed this new trait
into new and existing cultivars,
potentially speeding up the pace
of its use.
“The resistance gene is lo
cated on a completely new posi
tion of the genome, which is
exciting,” said Kara Burnham,
an OARDC post doctorate stu
dent working on the project.
“Genes found on previously
identified regions of the genome,
known as loci, may or may not
be new. This gene is not on the
location of any of the known
genes, so it must be a new gene.”
Apart from identification of
the new gene, there are seven
known root rot resistant genes,
labeled Rpsl-7. If a gene is lo
cated on an existing genome po
sition, Rpsl, for example, then
the gene is designated with a
letter, such as Rpsla.
‘The good thing about the
new gene, RpsB, is that it proba
bly hasn’t been seen in U.S.
germplasm lines before because
of its new location,” said Dor
rance, “so there is a high proba
bility that it’ll be effective.”
The next step for researchers, apart
from evaluating the gene’s effective
ness in the field, is to incorporate it
into cultivars that are adapted to
Ohio’s soil conditions and field charac
teristics.
“When I was a graduate student, I
thought it would be neat to discover a
gene,” said Ohio State soybean breeder
Steve St. Martin. “To be a part of the
team that actually discovered a new
gene is a dream come true for me. That
is one accomplishment I can now cross
off my list.”
St. Martin holds a partial OARDC
research appointment. He and
OARDC soybean breeder Ron Fioritto
will be breeding the new gene into new
and existing soybean cultivars.
‘Our goal is to develop varieties
before we see any major losses from
Phytophthora adaptation to existing
resistant varieties,” said St. Martin.
In addition to the new gene, re
searchers found certain South Korean
germplasm lines that exhibited partial
resistance to Phytophthora root rot - a
discovery they continue to investigate.
The research is supported by
checkoff funds from the Ohio Soybean
Council. Soybean germplasm was ob
tained from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture Soybean Germplasm Col
lection in Urbana, 111.
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