Fusarium Pathogenicity in Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome

Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in soybean is a destructive disease principally caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium virguliforme. Infection initiates at the roots, where the pathogen secretes an array of hydrolytic enzymes and host-selective toxins to induce root necrosis and vascular discolouration. As the fungus invades the xylem, mobile toxins are translocated to the canopy, provoking interveinal chlorosis and foliar necrosis that may culminate in flower and pod abscission. Environmental conditions such as soil moisture and temperature significantly influence disease development, and interactions with other soil pathogens can exacerbate severity. Host resistance is partial and governed by numerous quantitative trait loci (QTL), which has spurred approaches ranging from conventional breeding and marker-assisted selection to transgenic expression of novel defence genes. Management strategies integrate cultural practices, chemical seed treatments and targeted fungicides, yet emerging pathogen species and fungicide sensitivities present ongoing challenges. Recent advances in functional genomics and chemical biology have begun to unravel the molecular basis of pathogenicity and plant defence, offering practical routes to enhance SDS resistance and protect global soybean yields.

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Fusarium Pathogenicity in Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in fusarium pathogenicity in soybean sudden death syndrome across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS): A two-phase disease in soybean characterised by root necrosis followed by toxin-induced foliar chlorosis and necrosis.

Fusarium virguliforme: A soil-borne ascomycete fungus and principal causal agent of SDS in soybean.

Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS): An approach that correlates genetic variation across the genome with trait variation to identify loci associated with disease resistance.

Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL): A genomic region that contributes to the variation of a quantitative trait, such as partial resistance to SDS.

Foliar SDS: The above-ground phase of SDS, manifesting as interveinal chlorosis and necrosis caused by pathogen-derived toxins.

Succinate Dehydrogenase Inhibitor (SDHI): A class of fungicides that target the mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase complex, used in seed treatments to manage SDS.

Ethylene: A plant hormone that modulates defence responses and can directly inhibit pathogen growth when applied exogenously.

References

1. The Genome Sequence of the Fungal Pathogen Fusarium virguliforme That Causes Sudden Death Syndrome in Soybean. PLOS ONE (2014).
2. Investigation of the Fusarium virguliforme Transcriptomes Induced during Infection of Soybean Roots Suggests that Enzymes with Hydrolytic Activities Could Play a Major Role in Root Necrosis. PLOS ONE (2017).
3. Analyses of the Xylem Sap Proteomes Identified Candidate Fusarium virguliforme Proteinacious Toxins. PLOS ONE (2014).
4. Contributions of Fusarium virguliforme and Heterodera glycines to the Disease Complex of Sudden Death Syndrome of Soybean. PLOS ONE (2014).
5. Integrated Management of Important Soybean Pathogens of the United States in Changing Climate. Journal of Integrated Pest Management (2020).
6. Quantitative trait loci underlying resistance to sudden death syndrome (SDS) in MD96-5722 by ‘Spencer’ recombinant inbred line population of soybean. 3 Biotech (2014).
7. Tanscriptomic Study of the Soybean-Fusarium virguliforme Interaction Revealed a Novel Ankyrin-Repeat Containing Defense Gene, Expression of Whose during Infection Led to Enhanced Resistance to the Fungal Pathogen in Transgenic Soybean Plants. PLOS ONE (2016).
8. Genome wide association study identifies novel single nucleotide polymorphic loci and candidate genes involved in soybean sudden death syndrome resistance. PLOS ONE (2019).
9. Induction of ethylene inhibits development of soybean sudden death syndrome by inducing defense-related genes and reducing Fusarium virguliforme growth. PLOS ONE (2019).
10. Fluopyram Sensitivity and Functional Characterization of SdhB in the Fusarium solani Species Complex Causing Soybean Sudden Death Syndrome. Frontiers in Microbiology (2018).