Inheritance of Reaction to the Reniform Nematode in Soybean1

Abstract

Inheritance of reaction to reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford and Oliveira), a pest of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in many areas of the southeastern U.S.A., was studied in the cross ‘Forrest’(resistant) ✕ ‘Ransom’ (susceptible). Parental, F1,F2, and F3, populations were screened in soil infested with 2,000 to 4,200 reniform nematode larvae per 500cc of soil. Segregation ratios indicated that reniform nematode resistance was recessive and controlled by alleles at one locus. Intermediate infection classes in the F2 not shared by F1 and parental types probably resulted from environmental effects or one or more minor genes. The symbols Rrn and rfn are proposed for the major gene pair.