Soybean Seedcoat Mottling: Association with Soybean mosaic virus and Phomopsis spp. Seed Infection

Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) infection predisposes soybean (Glycine max) seed to Phomopsis spp. seed infection and may induce seedcoat mottling. The extent of seedcoat mottling associated with the accumulation of SMV or Phomopsis spp. infection of the seedcoat was investigated in 1996 and 1997. Plants of two SMV-susceptible cultivars, ‘Clark’ and ‘Williams’, were sap inoculated with the G2 strain of SMV at growth stage R2. Control plants (SMV-resistant isolines L78-434 and L78-379, respectively) were not inoculated. Harvested seed were evaluated visually for seedcoat mottling and sorted into four categories (severe, banded, blemish, and none) according to the degree of seedcoat pigmentation. Seed infection with Phomopsis spp. was determined and SMV accumulation was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and nucleic acid hybridization analysis. Phomopsis spp. were isolated from seed of all mottling categories, with the incidence of infection increasing as the degree of seedcoat mottling increased. SMV was detected in both mottled and nonmottled seedcoats, with generally higher levels of SMV in mottled seedcoats. However, the relationship of SMV titer to seedcoat mottling was inconsistent across cultivars and years. Thus, the extent of seedcoat mottling was not directly related to the accumulation of SMV in the seedcoat.