Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci for Resistance to Sudden Death Syndrome in a Recombinant Inbred Population of Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) caused by Fusarium virguliforme is a devastating disease in soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) that causes up to 70% of yield losses depending on the developmental stage when the plant become infected. The characterization of resistance is greatly significant for disease management. A recombinant inbred line population was developed by crossing a resistant line to SDS, LS97-1610 with a susceptible one, ‘Spencer’. Ninety-four F_5:6 lines of LS97-1610 x Spencer were evaluated for their resistance to F. virguliforme for two years (2009 and 2010) at two locations (Carbondale and Valmeyer) in southern Illinois and were genotyped with more than 1,500  single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. SNP-trait association and QTL mapping were generated using JMP Genomics 5.1 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Markers identified from this study will be useful to soybean breeding program for characterize materials with resistance to SDS and develop new improved varieties.