Soybeans recruit beneficial soil microbes to defend against a major pest

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is among the most damaging pests affecting soybean crops around the world, with current management strategies relying primarily on a very narrow set of resistant soybean varieties, along with crop rotation and chemical nematicides. Now, researchers at the North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory, part of the USDA Agricultural Research Service, in Brookings, South Dakota, report new evidence that the key to stronger protection may lie not just in plant genetics or chemicals but in the soil microorganisms surrounding the roots.