Potato cyst nematode, Globodera pallida, is an important soil-borne pathogen that threatens $4 billion worth US potato industry. This endoparasitic nematode undergoes a complex life cycle which starts with eggs in soil that hatch once exposed to exudates released by roots of a suitable host, and this transition from eggs to preparasitic juveniles (J2s) is associated with massive transcriptional reprograming. Our comparison of J2s hatched in response to root exudates from susceptible potato Desiree, partially resistant potato Innovator, and immune plant Solanum sisymbriifolium (wild potato relative), showed that the infection rates and motility of juveniles were affected in a host-dependent manner. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis shed light on molecular basis underlaying the root exudate-mediated modulation of nematode virulence, with many differentially expressed genes (DEGs) possessing characteristics of nematode effectors. This research supports the hypothesis that root exudates play an important role in plant-nematode interactions.