• Resistant varieties will still produce excellent yields under high disease pressure and provide growers with a low risk alternative to grow chickpeas again.
• The resistant varieties Genesis 090 and Genesis 509 produce excellent yields under high disease pressure and provide growers with a low risk alternative to grow chickpeas again.

• The recommended field pea industry practice of P-Pickel T® seed treatment and 2 foliar fungicides of Mancozeb failed to significantly reduce disease infection levels or increase grain yield over untreated control treatments under high blackspot disease pressure in 2016.
• Early disease control applications (four weeks after sowing) were important for reducing initial blackspot infection levels at Minnipa, conversely later spring applications were important at the higher rainfall site of Hart.
• Over two consecutive years, a yield benefit of at least 15% has been obtained from application of new experimental fungicide actives over the current industry practice treatment of two foliar sprays of mancozeb.
• Further research is required to understand the interaction in efficacy between fungicides and timing of disease infection, together with the drivers of Ascochyta blight onset and progression in different field pea growing environments.

ol and significant yield increases over the nil and Mancozeb treatments in 2015.

Disease progression and grain yield were both reduced by dry and hot spring conditions in early October at all sites in 2015. Further evaluation is warranted in years and environments with more favourable spring conditions. Earlier application timings than the 8 week treatment used in these experiments may also be warranted, along with additional ‘spring’ treatments in longer more favourable seasons.

A number of industry support groups have reported the economic benefit of using fungicide in controlling blackspot in field pea. Results in 2015 showed the current fungicide application strategy, using PPT and two Mancozeb applications suppressed blackspot at most sites, but previous yield benefits reported from this treatment were not realised due to the hot and dry spring conditions experienced in 2015.

New fungicide actives and formulas being evaluated showed significant increases in efficacy for controlling blackspot compared to untreated plots and those treated with Mancozeb. Furthermore, a significant yield benefit (approx. 15%) were also identified in these treatments this year. Further trials are planned in 2016 to explore these results.

• New varieties have improved ascochyta resistance, but still need careful management.
• Avoiding early infection is critical to managing ascochyta effectively.
• A two spray fungicide strategy will provide reliable control.

• Ascochyta rabiei can be controlled in chickpeas using chlorothalonil (Bravo).
• The fungicide needs to be applied early (six weeks after sowing) and be applied, at a minimum, every three weeks after the first application.
• Kaniva chickpeas sprayed with Bravo applied at two litres per hectare, every three weeks, produced a clean sample, free of infected grain (premium priced grain).

• One or two well timed fungicide applications increased yield 10% and full control a further 15%.
• Newer fungicides were more effective at supressing ascochyta but this did not translate to increased yield.
• Further testing of new fungicides is required in more locations and seasons.

• One or two well timed fungicide applications increased yield 10% and full control a further 15%.
• Newer fungicides were more effective at supressing ascochyta but this did not translate to increased yield.
• Further testing of new fungicides is required in more locations and seasons.

• Early disease control is important for reducing initial AB infection levels in field pea crops with a yield potential above 1.5 t/ha.
• A late fungicide spray is important to control AB in spring when rainfall is conducive to disease spread and pod and seed infection.
• Early sowing into a high disease risk window with new fungicide actives evaluated in this project, were demonstrated to have improved yield benefits over later sowing in the 2017 season.

• The recommended industry practice of P-Pickel (PPT) seed treatment and two foliar fungicides of mancozeb failed to significantly reduce disease infection levels or increase grain yield over untreated control treatments under high blackspot disease pressure in 2016.
• Early disease control applications (four weeks after sowing) were important for reducing initial blackspot infection levels at Minnipa, conversely, later Spring applications were important at the higher rainfall site of Hart.
• Over two consecutive years, a yield benefit of at least 15% has been obtained from the application of new experimental fungicide actives over the current industry practice treatment.
• Further research is required to understand the interaction in efficacy between fungicides and timing of disease infection, together with the drivers of ascochyta blight onset and progression in different field pea growing environments.

Seed dressings were more effective at controlling the mild infections in Hart while seed dressings or foliar fungicides were not effective in controlling the severe infection levels in Minnipa. Seed dressing is more effective than foliar sprays for low to moderate disease severity, but for severe disease conditions both were less effective.

• Growers and advisers should be vigilant in applying protective fungicide sprays in chickpea and lentil crops for ascochyta blight.
• Many current and minor use permit fungicides trialed at Hart in 2017 provided good preventative control (less than 10% of plants infected) for ascochyta blight including; chlorothalonil, Aviator Xpro, Cabrio and Captan.

The trial faced numerous problems such as poor emergence in several lines, selective grazing by rabbits/hares and spray drift that confounded the fungicide applications. This trial was abandoned.

None of the lentil varieties developed ascochyta blight due to the dry conditions during the season. Only few isolated lesions were developed in PBA Hurricane XT.

• Results of preliminary tests show the fungicide has excellent activity against this fungal disease.
• The potential use of the new AgrEvo fungicide in Australia will be as a single spray, six weeks after emergence, when seed treatment activity ceases.

B isolate tested was collected from the high intensity lentil producing area in the Yorke Peninsula region in SA.

Protection of the plant foliage through application of fortnightly Chlorothalonil significantly increased yield in the most susceptible variety, PBA Flash (76 %) over unprotected (Nil) plots.

Grain yields were also improved in varieties that had moderate disease reactions together with those varieties that showed no disease symptoms, indicating the importance of fungicide sprays in not only controlling disease but also enhancing plant growth.

All commercial lentil varieties should be managed as having potential for risk from foliar AB especially under favourable conditions that promote disease. Varieties will need close monitoring for disease during the growing season and strategic fungicide sprays will be required in all varieties even in the absence of disease symptoms particularly in varieties rated as having foliar resistance to AB pathogen.