Abstract Asian soybean rust (ASR) is one of the most serious diseases for soybean crops, and it can be responsible for severe yield reduction. Due to the low durability of vertical resistance, studies on horizontal resistance are important for breeding programs. The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to ASR horizontal resistance. A genetic linkage map with 26 groups was generated for simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers from 163 recombinant inbred lines (RILs). We found 13 QTLs related to 12 traits, including eight directly related to plant resistance. Furthermore, two QTLs controlling more than one trait were observed: one was related to agronomical traits, and another was related to a similar region of the Rpp3 locus associated with the number of uredinia and sporulation levels. These results will be useful for breeding programs to generate cultivars resistant to ASR.

Abstract. In Mexico, the Asian soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, reduces soybean yield by 25 % to 80 %. The use of resistant cultivars is the most cost-effective strategy for management of this disease. The objective of this study was to determine the pathogenic characteristics of P. pachyrhizi populations in Mexico in order to look for effective resistance in soybean germplasm. Using 12 soybean differentials carrying 0-3 resistance genes, the pathogenic profiles of four P. pachyrhizi populations sampled in northeastern Mexico in 2015, were evaluated. Three of the populations had similar pathogenic characteristics. Cluster analysis supported the distinction by the location of two clusters of Mexican P. pachyrhizi populations apart, in the dendrogram of South American and Japanese rust populations. This indicates a large variation in the soybean rust populations in Mexico. In addition, no soybean differential carrying a single resistance gene showed resistance to all the four Mexican populations; however, the differential carrying three genes was resistant to all the P. pachyrhizi populations. Therefore, introducing multiple resistance genes in soybean breeding programs will be useful to develop rust-resistant cultivars in Mexico.

Resumen. En México, la roya asiática de la soya causada por Phakopsora pachyrhizi reduce el rendimiento del cultivo desde un 25 hasta un 80 %. El uso de variedades resistentes es la estrategia más rentable para el manejo de esta enfermedad. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar las características patogénicas de poblaciones mexicanas de P. pachyrhizi, con la finalidad de encontrar resistencia eficiente a dicho patógeno en germoplasma de soya. Para evaluar los perfiles patogénicos de cuatro poblaciones de P. pachyrhizi, colectadas en el noreste de México durante el 2015, se utilizaron 12 diferenciales de soya portando 0 - 3 genes de resistencia. Tres poblaciones mostraron características patogénicas similares. El análisis clúster diferenció dos grupos en las poblaciones de P. pachyrhizi de México, los cuales se asociaron con la localidad de muestreo. El dendrograma no incluyó poblaciones de roya de Sudamérica y Japón en dichos grupos. Lo cual indicó una gran variación en las poblaciones de roya asiática de México. Por otro lado, ningún diferencial de soya portando un solo gen de resistencia fue resistente a las cuatro poblaciones mexicanas de roya; pero el diferencial con tres genes mostró resistencia a todas las muestras de P. pachyrhizi. Por lo tanto, el uso de germoplasma con múltiples genes de resistencia será útil para desarrollar variedades de soya resistentes a la roya asiática en México.

Neste estudo, foi avaliada a influência da composição genética no nível de resistência de uma linhagem de soja com genes Rpp2, Rpp4 e Rpp5, gerada através de retrocruzamentos com um cultivar suscetível. Também foram avaliadas oito linhagens carregando esses genes Rpp contra cinco isolados de ferrugem asiática da soja (FAS) para determinar a provável faixa de resistência contra isolados que diferem em patogenicidade. Os resultados indicam que um alto nível de resistência pode ser obtido em linhagens contendo os três genes Rpp inseridos em base genética suscetível, embora pequenas influências da base genética e da patogenicidade da FAS na resistência à ferrugem possam também ocorrer. Assim, linhagens com os genes Rpp2, Rpp4 e Rpp5 piramidados devem ser efetivas contra uma população complexa que consiste de vários isolados de Phakopsora pachyrhizi.

In this study, the influence of genetic background on the resistance level of a soybean line carrying Rpp2, Rpp4, and Rpp5 was evaluated by backcrossing it with a susceptible variety. It was also evaluated eight lines which carry these Rpp genes against five Asian soybean rust (ASR) isolates, in order to determine the likely range of resistance against ASR isolates differing in pathogenicity. The results indicated that a high level of resistance against various ASR isolates could be retained in lines carrying the three Rpp genes in susceptible genetic backgrounds, although minor influences of plant genetic background and ASR pathogenicity to the ASR resistance could occur. Thus, lines with the pyramided three Rpp genes should be effective against a complex pathogen population consisting of diverse Phakopsora pachyrhizi isolates.

Nos últimos anos a ferrugem asiática, causada pelo fungo Phakopsora pachyrhizi tornou-se uma das mais sérias ameaças a produção de soja Brasileira. Linhagens melhoradas e variedades têm sido selecionadas para a resistência à ferrugem da soja na Ásia, entretanto para a seleção e utilização dessas fontes de resistência, diferenças de virulência entre populações Asiáticas e Brasileiras desse fungo devem ser consideradas. Neste trabalho sugerimos um critério para se distinguir resistência de susceptibilidade pela análise de quatro caracteres de resistência: freqüência de lesões contendo urédias, número de urédias por lesão, freqüência de urédias abertas e nível de esporulação determinados pela utilização de 63 genótipos. Sob condições controladas em câmaras de crescimento, treze variedades de soja foram expostas a três populações de fungos - uma população proveniente do Japão e duas populações provenientes do Brasil-e avaliadas quanto aos caracteres de resistência mencionados acima. As populações Brasileiras diferiram entre si claramente quanto a virulência e em relação à população de isolados do Japão. Apenas dois genes de resistência, Rpp4 presente na variedade PI459025 e Rpp5 presente na variedade Shiranui conferiram resistência as três populações da ferrugem. O número de variedades ou genes resistentes úteis em ambos os países parece ser limitado. Assim, um cultivar universalmente efetivo contra a ferrugem da soja deveria ser desenvolvido pela piramidação de genes maiores de resistência e pela introdução de resistência horizontal.

In recent years soybean rust, caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi has become one of the most serious threats to soybean production in Brazil. Breeding lines and varieties have been selected for resistance to soybean rust in Asia. However, differences in virulence between Asian and Brazilian rust populations should be considered in order to select and use resistant resources from Asia. Here, we suggest criteria for distinguishing resistant from susceptible types by the analysis of four resistance characters: frequency of lesions having uredinia, number of uredinia per lesion, frequency of open uredinia, and sporulation level, determined by the utilization of 63 genotypes. Under growth chamber conditions, a set of 13 soybean varieties were exposed to three rust populations-one from Japan and two from Brazil-and evaluated for the resistance characters mentioned above. The Japanese and Brazilian populations clearly differed in virulence, as did the two Brazilian populations. Only two resistance genes, Rpp4 from PI459025 and Rpp5 from Shiranui, commonly conferred resistance on all three rust populations. The number of resistant varieties or resistance genes useful in both countries appears limited. Therefore, a resistant cultivar that is universally effective against soybean rust should be developed by pyramiding some major resistance genes and by introducing horizontal resistance.

Análises morfo-anatômicas e micromorfométricas de duas cultivares de soja, MG/BR46 (Conquista) e BR16—tolerante e sensível à seca, respectivamente, em experimento conduzido em casa de vegetação—foram feitas para estudar as diferentes estratégias de tolerância ao déficit hídrico. Tratamentos de seca foram aplicados no estádio reprodutivo R2 e R7, onde avaliações foram conduzidas em 30 dias e 45 dias após o inicio do estresse, respectivamente. O comprimento total das plantas da cultivar Conquista (parte aérea e raiz) foi maior do que das plantas da cultivar BR16. A massa seca da vagem foi adversamente afetada pelo déficit hídrico, diminuindo a produtividade das plantas da cultivar Conquista. Ambas as cultivares tiveram o desenvolvimento de pêlos radiciais normais e, uma diminuição da razão córtex:cilindro central foi observada em BR16 estressada por 30 dias, além de apresentar uma espessura do folíolo e distribuição dos estômatos normais. Diferenças na tolerância à seca observada entre as duas cultivares devem estar relacionadas também a outros fatores, alm das características morfológicas, já que esta espécie possui um ciclo de vida curto.

In a greenhouse experiment, morpho-anatomical and micromorphometrical analyses of two soybean cultivars, MG/BR46 (Conquista) and BR16-tolerant and sensitive to drought, respectively-were used to study their water-deficit-tolerance strategies. Drought treatments were applied at reproductive stages from R2 to R7, where evaluations were conducted at 30 days and 45 days after stress started, respectively. The total length of Conquista plants (shoot + root) was greater than of BR16 plants. Pod dry weight was adversely affected due to the lack of moisture, decreasing productivity even of Conquista plants. Both the cultivars had normal development of root hairs; however, it was observed a decrease in the cortex:central cylinder ratio in BR16 stressed for 30 days, and they also showed similar leaflet thickness and stomata distribution. Differences in drought tolerance observed between the two cultivars seemed to be related to factors other than morphological traits since this species has a short lifecycle.

Drought cause serious yield losses in soybean (Glycine max), roots being the first plant organ to detect the water-stress signals triggering defense mechanisms. We used two drought induction systems to identify genes differentially expressed in the roots of the drought-tolerant soybean cultivar MG/BR46 (Conquista) and characterize their expression levels during water deficit. Soybean plants grown in nutrient solution hydroponically and in sand-pots were submitted to water stress and gene expression analysis was conducted using the differential display (DD) and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Three differentially expressed mRNA transcripts showed homology to the Antirrhinum majus basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor bHLH, the Arabidopsis thaliana phosphatidylinositol transfer protein PITP and the auxin-independent growth regulator 1 (axi 1). The hydroponic experiments showed that after 100 min outside the nutrient solution photosynthesis completely stopped, stomata closed and leaf temperature rose. Both stress induction treatments produced significant decrease in the mitotic indices of root cells. Axi 1, PITP and bHLH were not only differentially expressed during dehydration in the hydroponics experiments but also during induced drought in the pot experiments. Although, there were differences between the two sets of experiments in the time at which up or down regulation occurred, the expression pattern of all three transcripts was related. Similar gene expression and cytological analysis results occurred in both systems, suggesting that hydroponics could be used to simulate drought detection by roots growing in soil and thus facilitate rapid and easy root sampling.

An understanding of the relationship of geographically different soybean gene pools, based on selectively neutral DNA markers would be useful for the selection of divergent parental cultivars for use in breeding. We assessed the relationships of 194 Chinese, 59 Japanese, and 19 Brazilian soybean cultivars (n = 272) using 12 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Quantification Theory III and clustering analyses showed that the Chinese and Japanese cultivars were genetically quite distant to each other but not independent, while Brazilian cultivars were distantly related to the cultivars from the other two countries and formed a cluster that was distant from the other two gene pool clusters. Our results indicated that the Brazilian soybean gene pool is different from the Chinese and Japanese pool. Exchanges of these gene pools might be useful to increase the genetic variability in soybean breeding.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar as regiões genômicas responsáveis pela resistência ao Fusarium tucumaniae sp. nov., agente causador da síndrome da morte súbita (SDS) da soja na América do Sul, utilizando-se uma população com background genético diferente daqueles relatados, anteriormente, para o Fusarium virguliforme sp. nov. (F. solani f. sp. glycines), também responsável por SDS em soja. Embora genes de efeito maior e locos de características quantitativas (QTL) para resistência a SDS tenham sido identificados, pouco se conhece sobre essa mesma doença causada por Fusarium tucumanie sp. nov., na América do Sul. Com a finalidade de identificar fatores genéticos relacionados com a resistência a F. tucumaniae e marcadores de DNA associados a esses fatores, foram conduzidas análises de QTL em linhagens puras recombinantes. A localização de quatro locos identificados diferem de QTL anteriormente descritos para resistência à SDS. Uma linha heterozigótica residual (RHL) foi analisada e mostrou-se heterozigótica próxima ao QTL mais efetivo, RSDS1, e homozigótica para outras regiões genômicas. O efeito genético de RSDS1 foi confirmado, usando-se linhas quase-isogênicas derivadas da RHL. Observou-se que a linha homozigótica para o genótipo Misuzudaizu mostrou resistência similar à da linha homozigótica para o genótipo Moshidou Gong 503.

The objective of this work was to identify genomic regions that underlie resistance to Fusarium tucumaniae sp. nov., the causing agent of sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soybean in South America, using a population with a genetic background different from that previously reported for Fusarium virguliforme sp. nov. (F. solani f. sp. glycines), also responsible for SDS in soybean. Although major genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL) for SDS resistance have been identified, little is known about the same disease caused by Fusarium tucumaniae sp. nov., in South America. To identify genetic factors related to resistance to F. tucumaniae and DNA markers associated with them, a QTL analysis was performed using recombinant inbred lines. The map locations of the four loci, here identified, differed from those SDS resistance QTL previously described. It was screened a residual heterozygous line (RHL), which was heterozygous around the most effective QTL, RSDS1, and homozygous for the other genomic regions. The genetic effect of RSDS1 was confirmed using near-isogenic lines (NIL) derived from the RHL. The line which was homozygous for the Misuzudaizu genotype showed resistance levels comparable with that of the line homozygous for the Moshidou Gong 503 genotype.