Perspectives from Soybean Breeding: A Combination of Classic and New Technologies to Map and Fine Map Aphid Resistance in Soybean and Its Application in Horticulture

As one of the most planted crops in the United States and the world, soybean is currently under intensive study. Breeding and research in horticultural plants is still a rising area. Not only is there a huge market demand, but also many areas of research to explore. The paper will provide perspectives from soybean breeding and explore a career of breeding for horticultural plants. The soybean aphid has become one of the most devastating pests to soybean in North America since its invasion in 2000. Soybean breeders have been seeking resistance sources and incorporating them into elite cultivars ever since 2000. As technology keeps updating over time, the process of mapping the aphid resistance QTL and facilitating it into the breeding scheme has become faster and easier. The results of mapping and fine mapping soybean aphid resistance gene in PI567537 will be presented. Based on fine mapping results, marker-assisted selection (MAS) system was well established, making the breeding scheme much more efficient than ever before. The MAS system will be discussed as well. We will also discuss how to use the resistance source screening system and new technologies (52K SNP Chip and next generation sequencing) toward horticultural plants.