Reproduction of Soybean Cyst Nematode on Dry Bean Cultivars Adapted to North Dakota and Northern Minnesota

Dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is a host of the soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines). Twenty-four cultivars of dry bean representing pinto, navy, black, and kidney bean classes were evaluated for host suitability for SCN HG type 0 in the greenhouse. Females of SCN developed normally on all dry bean cultivars in 30 days. Eggs collected from roots of dry bean plants were as effective as inoculum for soybean as eggs collected from roots of soybean. Averaged over experiments, the number of SCN females per plant was significantly lower (P ≤ 0.001) on pinto, navy, and black bean than on the susceptible soybean Lee 74. There was no difference in the number of females between kidney bean and soybean. Numbers of females per plant differed (P ≤ 0.001) among navy cultivars but not among cultivars in the other three bean classes. A female index (FI = the average number of females on the test plant divided by the average number of females on the susceptible soybean Lee 74 × 100) was calculated for each cultivar to evaluate resistance to SCN. FIs varied from 5 to 117, indicating a range of susceptibility in the crop. Kidney bean averaged the highest FI at 110, followed by navy, pinto, and black at FI = 41, 39, and 16, respectively. SCN is a potential threat to dry bean in the northern production area of North Dakota and northern Minnesota.