Refocusing on Soybean Cyst Nematode Management

Genetic resistance remains the top defense against soybean cyst nematode (SCN), but the widely used PI88788 (rhg1b) resistance has lost effectiveness in many fields — making SCN an active yield threat again. A strong SCN plan combines testing, resistance rotation (including Peking), non-host crop rotation and seed treatments. Pioneer leads with the largest Full Peking portfolio, built into every Pioneer^® brand Z-Series soybean with Enlist E3^® genetics, plus new resistance combinations coming soon.

• Soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines) is a major yield-reducing pest of soybean in North America.
• SCN was likely introduced to the U.S. from Japan. The first report of SCN in the U.S. was in North Carolina in 1954.
• This tiny worm-like parasite has now spread to practically all major soybean production areas of the U.S. and Canada (Figure 1) and is reaching economic levels in more areas.
• SCN may reduce soybean yields substantially without inducing obvious symptoms. Studies have shown that in SCN-infested fields, yields can be reduced by over 30 percent without visible above-ground symptoms.

  

  Figure 1. Known distribution of soybean cyst nematode in the United States and Canada as of 2023 (Tylka and Marett, 2025).

  

  Figure 2. Strips of SCN-resistant and non-resistant soybean varieties in a SCN-infested field, showing damage to the non-resistant varieties.

• The most important management tactic for SCN has been breeding and selection of soybean varieties with genetic resistance to SCN.
• Pioneer researchers have identified several soybean lines with the ability to resist nematode reproduction on their roots. Researchers then identify the specific genes causing resistance within these diverse soybean lines and breed those specific SCN resistance genes into elite soybean varieties.
• Breeding multiple genes for resistance into a soybean variety can produce more robust protection from SCN.
• Many of the soybean varieties across the industry today only contain a single gene for SCN resistance – the rhg1b resistance gene derived from PI88788.
• A smaller number of elite varieties currently use multiple genes for resistance, mostly derived from Peking (PI548402).
• Most current Pioneer^® brand soybean varieties with resistance genes derived from Peking, contain three genes for SCN resistance.
• Other varieties in the industry with resistance derived from Peking may only contain two genes for resistance. Varieties with three genes for resistance from Peking provide a more robust level of control against SCN.
• Continued SCN leadership is a priority as Pioneer researchers develop soybean varieties with higher yield potential and resistance to SCN. Additional sources of SCN resistance (beyond Peking or PI88788) will be launched in elite varieties in coming years.

• SCN populations are genetically diverse and have historically been separated into races by their ability to reproduce on soybean tester lines.
• The most commonly used system separated SCN into 16 races.
• The most recent classification system, called the HG Type test, has now been widely adopted. The HG Type test is similar to a SCN race test but includes only the seven sources of resistance in available SCN-resistant soybean varieties.
• Results are shown as a percentage, indicating how much the nematode population from a soil sample increased on each of the seven lines.
• The HG Type test indicates which sources of resistance would not be suited for the field being tested. For example, if an HG type contains the number 2, this indicates that PI88788 would not be fully effective source of SCN resistance (Table 1).

  Table 1. Indicator lines for HG Type classification of SCN.

  	Indicator Line		Indicator Line
  1	PI548402 (Peking)	5	PI209332
  2	PI88788	6	PI89772
  3	PI90763	7	PI548316
  4	PI437654 (Hartwig)

• Beginning in the 1990s, the widespread availability of soybean varieties with PI88788 SCN resistance provided a largely effective management tool for SCN in North America.​
  • In recent years however, the rhg1b gene from PI88788 has been losing its effectiveness as a SCN management tool.​
  • Studies in several states have shown that a high percentage of fields have SCN populations with elevated reproduction on the rhg1b gene from PI88788.​
• As the SCN HG types in these fields evolve increasing levels of parasitism, SCN populations rise in number and the soybean yield losses increase as well.​
• The rhg1b gene from PI88788 source of SCN resistance has lost effectiveness for SCN control in many fields, meaning that SCN once again poses a significant threat to soybean yield that requires grower attention and management.

  

  Figure 3. White SCN females on soybean roots.

• The SCN Coalition provides the following recommendations for developing a plan to manage SCN:
  • Test your fields to know your numbers.
  • Rotate varieties with different resistance genes.
  • Rotate to non-host crops.
  • Consider using a nematode protectant seed treatment.
  • Consult your university soybean extension specialist for specific management recommendations for your state.

Rotate Resistant Varieties

• It is important to rotate varieties with different resistance genes that provide control of different HG types. This helps prevent SCN populations from increasing on a particular resistance source.
• Pioneer has a growing lineup of high-yielding, adapted varieties that contain Peking resistance. Farmers should rotate Peking-derived resistant varieties with PI88788-derived resistant varieties across soybean crop years.
• Using varieties in rotation with different genes for SCN resistance will help maintain low SCN levels in these fields. It is best to begin rotating resistance before SCN levels build up.
• As a leader in SCN breeding, we have used precision molecular breeding methods to identify and isolate the SCN resistance genes found in multiple sources of resistance and move those specific genes into high-yielding, adapted varieties.

Rotate to Non-Host Crops

• Corn, alfalfa and small grains are the most common non-host choices for reducing SCN numbers.
• Some SCN will hatch each season, and in the absence of a suitable host like soybean, those SCN will die. This causes a gradual reduction in SCN numbers the more years a non-host crop is planted. However, SCN persists in the soil for many years, so crop rotation will not eliminate SCN.

Seed Treatments

• Nematicide seed treatments are intended to supplement current SCN management strategies, not replace them.
• The LumiGEN^® system offering includes Victrato^® seed treatment, which provides protection against SCN.

The Pioneer Solution: More Modes of Action

The R&D teams at Pioneer have treated SCN resistance as a priority for years — and led the industry in bringing Peking resistance to soybean growers. That leadership shows up across the lineup today.

The largest Full Peking portfolio in the market, built into the elite Z-Series genetics and the market-leading Enlist E3 trait from Pioneer.

Full Peking protection that addresses three races of SCN.

New native traits combined with Peking and combined with PI88788, coming from Pioneer in the next few seasons.

• Bissonnette, K.M., and G.L. Tylka. 2017. Seed Treatments for Soybean Cyst Nematode. Iowa State University Extension. Crop 3142.
• Mitchum, M.G., and A. Howland. 2018. Distribution, Levels, and HG Types of SCN Populations in Missouri. Pioneer Agronomy Research Update.
• O’Bryan, K., and M. Burnison. 2016. Performance of Soybean Seed Treatments Against SDS and SCN in On-Farm Trials. Pioneer Agronomy Research Update.
• Tylka, G. 2018. Reflecting on SCN in Iowa Through the Years. Iowa State University Extension Integrated Crop Management News.
• Tylka, G.L., and C.C. Marett. 2021. Known Distribution of the Soybean Cyst Nematode, Heterodera glycines, in the United States and Canada in 2020. Plant Health Progress 22:72-74.
• Tylka, G.L., and C.C. Marett. 2025. Known Distribution of the Soybean Cyst Nematode, Heterodera glycines, in the United States and Canada through 2023. Plant Health Progress 26:51-53.
• Wilson, J. 2018. New Methods Needed to Manage SCN in Soybean. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cropwatch.