Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #421920
Research Project: Combined Management Tactics for Resilient and Sustainable Crop Production

Location: Integrated Cropping Systems Research

Title: Cyanobacterium Nostoc species mitigate soybean cyst nematode infection on soybean by shaping rhizosphere microbiota

Author
item Yin, Chuntao
item Lahr, Nathan
item ZHOU, RUANBAO - South Dakota State University

Submitted to: Frontiers in Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/15/2025
Publication Date: 5/8/2025
Citation: Yin, C., Lahr, N.D., Zhou, R. 2025. Cyanobacterium Nostoc species mitigate soybean cyst nematode infection on soybean by shaping rhizosphere microbiota. Frontiers in Microbiology. 16. Article 1544479. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1544479.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1544479

Interpretive Summary: Soybean is an important oilseed production that meets the global food demand expected to double by 2050. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) causes significant yield loss and quality reduction that threaten soybean production globally. In this study, a cyanobacterial strain was isolated from the local field soil and identified as Nostoc punctiforme. The greenhouse study showed that the addition of N. punctiforme cultures into SCN-inoculated soil significantly reduced SCN population on soybean plants. Further, we found that the N. punctiforme inoculants changed microbial communities surrounding soybean roots and recruited a few bacterial and fungal species with potential nematicide activities that may benefit soybean plants against SCN. The isolated cyanobacterium can be considered a potential bionematicide candidate. 

Technical Abstract: Soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) is the most devastating and yield-limiting pathogen that threatens soybean production globally. Sustainable SCN disease managements strategies are needed. In this study, a cyanobacterial strain was isolated from SCN-infected soybean soil and identified as Nostoc punctiforme using the cyanobacterial 16S rRNA gene sequence. When susceptible soybean plants grown in the SCN-inoculated soil, N. punctiforme inoculants significantly reduced the total number of SCN eggs and second-stage juveniles (J2s), compared to the control with SCN inoculation only. Further microbial analysis showed that N. punctiforme inoculants changed the bacterial and fungal communities in the soybean rhizospheres and significantly increased the relative abundance of several bacterial and fungal species with potential nematicidal activities, suggesting altered soybean rhizosphere microbiota may contribute to the activity of N. punctiforme inoculants against SCN. However, N. punctiforme inoculants did not directly induce soybean defense reactions against SCN. Thus, N. punctiforme may be a potential nematicide against SCN invasion in soybean.