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The complexity of the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum pathosystem in soybean: virulence factors, resistance mechanisms, and their exploitation to control Sclerotinia stem rot

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Abstract

Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR), caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, is a globally important, yield limiting disease of soybean. Progress has been made in our understanding of this pathosystem at the plant level, such as the key role of oxalic acid in disease development and the importance of cell wall-degrading enzymes and other secreted proteins. Unfortunately, advances have largely focused on the fungal side of this interaction and only provide glimpses into the plant mechanisms governing resistance to this pathogen. With the absence of commercially available resistant soybeans, chemical and cultural solutions are being used by farmers to manage SSR with limited success. Additional research is needed to identify S. sclerotiorum resistance mechanisms that can be exploited to improve genetic resistance in soybean and decrease reliance on spray regimes. Technologies such as transgenics and RNAi could be exploited to improve the level of resistance to S. sclerotiorum in soybean. This review offers insight into the hurdles of managing SSR at the plant level and potential solutions that might be adopted in the future.

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Abbreviations

BiFC:

Bimolecular fluorescence complementation

CAZymes:

carbohydrate active enzymes

Chs:

chitin synthase

CWDE:

cell wall-degrading enzymes

DSI:

disease severity index

dsRNA:

double-stranded RNA

HIGS:

host-induced gene silencing

HR:

hypersensitive response

MAS:

marker assisted selection

OxDC:

oxalate decarboxylase

OxO:

oxalate oxidase

OA:

oxalic acid

sRNA:

small RNA

SSR:

Sclerotinia stem rot

PG:

endopolygalacturonases

OAH:

oxaloacetate acetylhydrolase

PGIP:

polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein

QTL:

quantitative trait loci

RIL:

recombinant inbred lines

RNAi:

RNA interference

ROS:

reactive oxygen species

siRNA:

small interfering RNA

SIGS:

spray-induced gene silencing

VIGS:

virus-induced gene silencing

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the funding sources that make our work and inquiry possible including the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board (WSMB), the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP), SciMed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the Department of Plant Pathology at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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  1. Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Megan McCaghey, Jaime Willbur, Damon L. Smith & Mehdi Kabbage

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  1. Megan McCaghey
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  2. Jaime Willbur
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  3. Damon L. Smith
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  4. Mehdi Kabbage
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Correspondence to Mehdi Kabbage.

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Section Editor: Leandro J. Dallagnol

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McCaghey, M., Willbur, J., Smith, D.L. et al. The complexity of the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum pathosystem in soybean: virulence factors, resistance mechanisms, and their exploitation to control Sclerotinia stem rot. Trop. plant pathol. 44, 12–22 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-018-0259-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40858-018-0259-4

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