Adaptation of Phytophthora sojae to Rps Resistance Genes over the Past Two Decades in North Dakota

Phytophthora root rot, caused by Phytophthora sojae, is a major disease of soybean in North Dakota, especially in the Red River Valley (RRV). Planting resistant cultivars is the primary management. The resistance genes Rps 1c, 1k, 3a, and 6 are the most common genes deployed in this region. To determine the efficacy of these genes and document the pathotype changes in the population of P. sojae over several decades, a survey of pathotypes was conducted in 2015 in three counties in the southern RRV and compared with similar surveys conducted in 1991 to 1994 and 2002 to 2004 in the same area. The results showed that from 1991 to 1994 when 6% of the pathotypes could defeat the Rps1c gene, by 2004 it was 57% of the pathotypes, and that percentage remained the same in 2015. However, in 1994 no pathotype could defeat Rps 1k, but by 2004 it was 12% and in 2015 it was 41%. Pathotypes that defeat Rps 3a and 6 have been few over the years. Pathotypes that defeat both 1c and 1k increased from none to 31% between 1994 and 2015. With the increasing complexity of P. sojae pathotypes, new strategies for managing this pathogen in the future will be needed.