** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODES (SCN) POSE A SUBSTANTIAL THREAT TO SOYBEAN PRODUCTION IN THE US, RESULTING IN ANNUAL YIELD LOSSES EXCEEDING $1.5 BILLION. THE PROLONGED RELIANCE ON THE PI88788 (RHG1) RESISTANCE SOURCE OVER THE PAST THREE DECADES HAS CAUSED RACE SHIFT IN SCN POPULATIONS, LEADING TO MORE VIRULENT RACES. THEREFORE, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP ADDITIONAL SCN RESISTANCE SOURCES INDEPENDENT OF RHG1 AND RHG4 TO COMBAT THIS EVER-CHANGING PEST. THROUGH OUR PRIOR USDA-NIFA SUPPORTED RESEARCH, WE IDENTIFIED QSCN10 RESISTANT QTL THAT HARBORS GMBZIP10 GENE. REMARKABLY, SIGNIFICANT ALLELIC VARIATIONS IN GMBZIP10 STRONGLY CORRELATED WITH DIFFERENTIAL GENE EXPRESSION IN RESPONSE TO SCN INFECTION. NOTABLY, THE INCREASED EXPRESSION OF GMBZIP10 IN SOYBEAN COMPOSITE TRANSGENIC HAIRY ROOTS DEMONSTRATED ENHANCED SCN RESISTANCE COMPARED TO THE SUSCEPTIBLE ALLELE, OFFERING A PROMISING STRATEGY FOR ENGINEERING ROBUST AND BROAD-BASED SCN RESISTANCE THAT OPERATES INDEPENDENTLY OF RHG1/RHG4. HENCE, OUR INTEGRATED GENOMICS AND GENE-EDITING RESEARCH AIMS TO ENHANCE BROAD-BASED SCN RESISTANCE.THE OUTCOMES OF OUR RESEARCH HOLD THE PROMISE OF NOT ONLY ENHANCING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF SCN RESISTANCE BUT ALSO PAVING THE WAY FOR UNCONVENTIONAL AND SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES TO COMBAT THIS FORMIDABLE AND EVER-EVOLVING SOYBEAN PEST IN THE UNITED STATES.