Updated November 8, 2017:
• Research on the impact of copy number was accomplished with four plant populations.
• Experiments were completed that revealed the role of Rhg1 gene copy number and type in determining soybean resistance to soybean cyst nematode. Lines with increased copy number were isolated and are being integrated into breeding programs and are available to the community.
• A new marker technology was developed to allow for accurate genotyping of Rhg1 repeats in a single tube, and breeder-friendly markers are now available for the community. The cost of this assay is approximately $0.19 per sample, which is less than half the cost of a recent published method. These markers and technology have been published (Lee et al. 2016, Plant J., 88 143-153) and a patent application for the markers and the new technology for repeat analysis has been filed (US20160265070 A1).

• KPI met through alternative means of isolating natural populations with increased copy numbers.

• Experiments were initiated to assess expression differences for lines with different copy number and types of Rhg1, these are ongoing.
• Investigations into chemical changes caused by the Rhg1 locus in soybean plants were conducted but the researchers were unable to identify the differences in the plant metabolomes. This work is in its infancy and the majority of the most significant differences detected by the metabolomics analysis were "unknown" compounds.

• Research into the two QTL responsible for novel SCN resistance in Glycine soja PI468916 resulted in putative identification of the gene in QTL cqSCN-006 and narrowed the region in resistance QTL cqSCN-007 to 7 possible genes.

The knowledge that the number of copies of the gene Rhg1 may have bearing on the magnitude of SCN resistance within a variety will make a difference in the future of how varieties are bred for improved SCN resistance.