Chickpea disease management

• PBA DrummondA generally had more Ascochyta blight infection than CBA CaptainA.
• Fungicide reduced Ascochyta blight infection in both varieties.
• At Canowindra on 17 September Ascochyta blight infection was rated as 6.1 in untreated PBA DrummondA (1 = no disease, 10 = disease across whole plot and all plants dying) and 2.5 in untreated CBA CaptainA.
• Fungicide reduced Ascochyta blight infection in CBA CaptainA (rated moderately susceptible [MS] to Ascochyta blight) and PBA DrummondA (rated susceptible [S] to Ascochyta blight) at both Canowindra and Parkes.
• Where fungicide applications were Delayed until after the crop had visible signs of Ascochyta blight, yield was lower than the Complete fungicide treatment for PBA DrummondA but the same as Complete fungicide treatment for CBA CaptainA (at both sites).
• The average yield was 1.78 t/ha at Canowindra and 1.49 t/ha at Parkes
• At Parkes the yield of CBA CaptainA was 0.7 t/ha higher in the Complete fungicide treatment compared to the Nil. PBA DrummondA yield increased by 2 t/ha for the same comparison.
• At Canowindra, CBA CaptainA yield increased by 1.5 t/ha and PBA DrummondA by 1.3 t/ha from Nil to Complete fungicide. However, the yield of the CBA CaptainA was still more than double the yield of PBA DrummondA in a high disease pressure environment.
• At Canowindra, yield of CBA CaptainA with Nil fungicide was either equal to or better than PBA DrummondA with fungicide applied. At Parkes, yield of CBA Captain with nil fungicide was higher than both the Budget and Delayed treatment, but lower than the Complete treatment of PBA DrummondA.
• These trials show that even a subtle improvement in varietal resistance from susceptible (PBA DrummondA) to moderately susceptible (CBA CaptainA) can take a lot of pressure off fungicide programs in environments and seasons conducive to disease.