Latest research at the Western Australian Department of Agriculture’s Mullewa Research Station is helping rebuild the State’s chickpea industry by proving good levels of Ascochyta resistance in a range of new and future varieties.

Results from the large scale trial, sown in mid May and harvested this month, is expected to reassure growers that commercial production is viable with new resistant varieties.

Department researcher Martin Harries said good Ascochyta resistance levels were present in current germplasm and the Department was making good progress towards developing robust varieties.

Mr Harries said Sonali and Rupali showed fewer symptoms of Ascochyta in the trial than Howzat but under a moderate disease pressure they did suffer a yield loss from Ascochyta.

He said lines from the eastern states showed good resistance and ICCV 96836 continued to be a standout line with good harvest height, competitive yields and a level of resilience to Ascochyta that reduced production risks.

“While there is keen interest in Ascochyta blight resistant chickpea lines, it was important for growers to be confident these lines offered the resistance needed before they adopt the varieties,” Mr Harries said.

“This trial helped further build grower confidence by managing the lines as they would be on-farm. It required larger size trial plots implemented with grower machinery and managed according to the Department’s Ascochyta management package.”

Mr Harries said a seed dressing was applied and a fungicide sprayed four weeks after plant emergence.

The plots were then monitored and Ascochyta was detected at the site in late July when another application of fungicide was applied.

By late August, Ascochyta could be seen on Howzat, Sonali and Rupali while it was not evident on the ICCV 96836 and Flip94-508c lines.

Mr Harries said the disease continued to be aggressive and another application of fungicide was applied the following week.

“By mid October obvious differences in Ascochyta infection levels were apparent between the varieties,” he said.

Howzat had some serious stem infection causing stem breakage and plant death in five per cent of plants, and all plants carried infection on pods.

Rupali showed mild Ascochyta on 10 per cent of stems with no breakage. The majority of pods were carrying Ascochyta lesions.

Sonali had minor stem infections, no stem breakage and 10-20 per cent of pods carrying infection.

ICCV 96836 was quite clean with Ascochyta present and on some stems as non aggressive lesions, occasional plants had symptoms on pods.

Flip 94-508c was almost free of Ascochyta even alongside infected Howzat plots. Ascochyta was hard to find and when observed had very minor symptoms with few if any spores produced.

“By the time of harvest it was apparent that the level of infection was in the more susceptible lines and was causing uneven ripening in the plots and yield loss,” Mr Harries said.

“Yields ranged from 417 – 930 kg/ha with ICCV 96836 obtaining the highest yield.

Mr Harries said Sonali, tested as WACPE 2075, had yielded extremely well in trials due to early flowering and increased cold tolerance, however, the level of Ascochyta recorded in the Sonali plots undoubtedly restricted yield in this trial to 730kg/ha.”

Mr Harries said Flip94-508c yield was reduced because it was a late flowering type, typically yields of this line have been at about 90 per cent of Sona in Crop Variety Testing trials.

Howzat and Rupali, which generally yield about the same as Sona in the absence of Ascochyta, had a moderate level of infection that reduced yields.

Seed for Howzat and the lines Flip 94-508C and ICCV 96836 are available through Coorow Seed.