Biotic stress is a critical factor limiting soybean growth and development. Soybean responses to biotic stresses such as insects, nematodes, and fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens are governed by complex regulatory and defense mechanisms. Next-generation sequencing has availed research techniques and strategies in genomics and postgenomics. This review summarizes the available information on marker resources, quantitative trait loci, and marker trait associations involved in regulating biotic stress responses in soybean. We discuss the differential expression of related genes and proteins reported in different transcriptomics and proteomics studies and the role of signaling pathways and metabolites reported in metabolomic studies. Recent advances in omics technologies offer opportunities to reshape and improve biotic stress resistance in soybean by altering gene regulation and/or other regulatory networks. We recommend using 'integrated omics' to understand how soybean responds to different biotic stresses. We discuss the potential challenges of integrating multiomics for functional analysis of genes and their regulatory networks and the development of biotic stress-resistant cultivars. This review will help direct soybean breeding programs to develop resistance against different biotic stresses.the rapid identi cation of putative genes/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with biotic stress resistance, the pathways involved, and functional analysis of intermediate or nal proteins and metabolites produced. However, there is a lack of comprehensive information on using omics approaches for biotic stress resistance in soybean. Therefore, we review various omics approaches used in soybean to improve crop performance under different biotic stresses to assist future soybean breeding in developing novel resistant cultivars.
Soybean GenomicsIn plant breeding, markers are used to construct genetic linkage maps, perform phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses, select desired alleles, and map genes/QTLs. These activities started with the identi cation of several low-throughput markers, such as RFLP, RAPD, and AFLP. Later, comparatively more abundant, highly polymorphic, and co-dominant markers, known as SSRs, complemented the markers mentioned above in soybean genetics, molecular biology, and breeding research [13]. Large numbers of QTLs associated with different biotic stresses have been identi ed in soybean using these markers (Table 1). In addition, marker-assisted selection (MAS) has sped up the breeding process, particularly for producing disease-and insect pest-resistant cultivars [14].Earlier, a high density genetic map 'Soybean Consensus Map (version 4.0)' was constructed by combining available genetic and physical maps involving SSRs and SNPs [15]. Genomic applications in soybean became more frequent with the availability of the whole genome sequence, one of the rst legumes to be sequenced and published [16]. In addition, sequencing-based genotyping approaches such as genotyping by sequencing (GBS) have be...