Root lesion nematodes (RLN) are important pests worldwide with a large range of host species. These migratory parasites are able to infest a wide spectrum of crops. In the past decade, severe damage in German cereal production has been reported and this pest is regarded by farming experts as a major threat for cereal production. Narrow crop rotation, early-sowing dates, and mild winters which are expected due to climate change increase the damage by this pest. Assessment of RLN in the field as well as in the greenhouse is cumbersome and time consuming. Moreover, this pest has been largely disregarded by European cereal breeders so far. Aiming at the identification of wheat (Triticum aestivum) genotypes with low RLN infection rates and unravelling the genetic mechanisms for RLN resistance in barley and wheat, we will continue a previous project in which resistant barley lines have been identified and major QTLs for RLN resistance have been mapped. We bring together experts from plant breeding, bioinformatics, nematology, and plant physiology in a project divided into 4 Research Areas (RA). This project is structured in four research areas (RA). In RA 1, we will assess RLN infection in soil samples from farmers’ fields using standard and novel technology. We will establish a molecular technique to detect RLN in soil and root substrates which is based on species specific sequences. This technique shall be later employed in RLN tests in the greenhouse. We will perform field trials with selected wheat and barley genotypes in fields heavily infested by RLNs to estimate the effect of RLN resistance on yield and other agronomical important parameters. In RA2, we will identify resistant genotypes from a worldwide wheat collection and will map RLN QTL(s) using SNP genotyping information from previous projects. Research area 3 will focus on barley genes triggering RLN resistance reactions. Finally, in RA4, we will compare resistance bearing regions from barley and wheat exploiting the high conservation of gene order and sequences between both species. The aim is to identify wheat orthologs of the barley resistance genes.