Soybean yield always is threatened by plant diseases caused by a wide spectrum of pathogens, including fungi and nematodes. As diverse as these pathogens are, they all have two fundamental commonalities: 1) The pathogens possess genes that are expressed and required for infection of the soybean plants; and 2) These pathogens cause gene expression responses in soybean plants that are necessary in order for disease symptoms to develop. Therefore, interfering with these two mechanisms will have negative effects on the developing disease and thus can be exploited as a novel control mechanism.