Unraveling Microbial and Edaphic Factors Affecting the Development of Sudden Death Syndrome in Soybean

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) caused by Fusarium virguliforme is a widespread and economically important disease of soybean. SDS is typically distributed unevenly in patches across soybean fields. While certain spots in fields are highly conducive to the development of severe SDS, other areas appear to be naturally healthy or suppressive to the disease. The role of soil microbial communities and soil physical and chemical properties in SDS development was investigated in 45 soybean fields in Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. Soil samples were collected from symptomatic patches in fields and from adjacent areas where SDS foliar symptoms did not develop. Multiple edaphic factors were measured, and markers specific to bacteria, fungi, archaea, oomycete, and nematodes, coupled with Illumina MiSeq sequencing, were used to identify key taxa likely associated with SDS development. A total of 14,200,000 reads were mapped against the National Center for Biotechnology Information nucleotide database and taxonomically co...