Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] plants were exposed to three temperature regimens during seed development to investigate the effect of temperature on the expression of eight defense-related genes and the accumulation of two fungal pathogens in inoculated seeds. In seeds prior to inoculation, either a day/night warm (34/26A degrees C) or a cool temperature (22/18A degrees C) relative to normal (26/22A degrees C) resulted in altered patterns of gene expression including substantially lower expression of PR1, PR3 and PR10. After seed inoculation with Cercospora kikuchii, pathogen accumulation was lowest in seeds produced at 22/18A degrees C in which of all defense genes, MMP2 was uniquely most highly induced. For seeds inoculated with Diaporthe phaseolorum, pathogen accumulation was lowest in seeds produced at 34/26A degrees C in which of all defense genes, PR10 was uniquely most highly induced. Our detached seed assays clearly demonstrated that the temperature regimens we applied during seed development produced significant changes in seed defense-related gene expression both pre- and post inoculation and our findings support the hypothesis that global climate change may alter plant-pathogen interactions and thereby potentially crop productivity.