Differentiation of Heterodera glycines races by metabolomics

Abstract The nematode Heterodera glycines is one of the main phytosanitary problems of soybean and the main management strategy is the use of pathogen resistant cultivars. For this, it is necessary to characterize the populations of H. glycines. Race determination schemes present flaws and there is a demand for more practical methods. This study objective was to identify possible target metabolites for the characterization of populations of H. glycines. For this, the metabolic profile of the H. glycines races present in the Brazilian territory was analyzed by High-Performance Gas Chromatography linked to Mass Spectrometry and contrasted with a database. The results showed different metabolites profiles with the potential to be used as indicators of the races determined by the differentiating cultivars method. The concentrations patterns of metabolites found were different among the races analyzed and allow the individualization of each race within a single profile. These findings indicate the possibility of race discrimination based on metabolomics tests. Further investigations may provide fundamental information in the development of new rapid tests for the determination of H. glycines races.