CHICKPEA
ASCOCHYTA
CLEAN SEED AND FUNGICIDAL SEED DRESSING - AN ESSENTIAL FIRST STEP TO MANAGING CHICKPEA ASCOCHYTA
Take-Home Messages
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Management of Ascochyta remains critical to growing successful chickpea crops and application of an appropriate seed dressing is an essential first step
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There has been significant yield improvements in previous years when Ascochyta in Neelam was adequately supressed, this is likely to occur again given disease levels in 2021
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Aim
We aim to demonstrate the effectiveness of using clean seed and seed applied fungicide to minimise the amount of ascochyta in a chickpea crop, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of early season foliar fungicides to keep disease levels at bay.
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Background
Ascochyta is the main disease that needs to be managed when growing chickpea crops. It can be introduced to a crop from both infected seed and stubble from previous year’s crops, and is then spread further within the crop by rain splash. Best practice guidelines recommend that all chickpea seed should be treated with a fungicidal seed dressing, which should be followed by an early season foliar fungicide to minimise seed borne ascochyta infection. A late season spray should be applied, particularly if disease levels are high and/or if seed is to be retained for the following crop.
Our observations in 2020 indicated that the majority of ascochyta infections in grower’s paddocks were seed borne, rather than entering paddocks off stubble - suggesting that best practice guidelines are not always being followed.
Treatments
Early foliar fungicide application was applied on 16 June
Comments
Despite the very wet winter in 2021, low levels of disease were seen in this trial until the end of July. Ascochyta grows best at temperatures between 15-25°C. It was likely too cold during the earlier part of the season for the disease to progress. Since the beginning of August, disease development has been rapid and it is now easily detectable in trial plots. It is expected there will be clear differences in disease level and yield between treatments by the end of the season.
Acknowledgements
This trial is part of the DPIRD/GRDC co-investment “DAW1903-004RTX: High Value Pulses - Raising awareness, optimising yield and expanding the area of lentil, chickpea and faba bean in Western Australia”. Thanks to the Wongan Hills TSU for trial management and Liebe Group for their support in providing trial sites.
MAIN CONTACT DETAILS
Name: Stacey Power
Phone: 0472 847 815
Email: stacey.power@dpird.wa.gov.au
Mailing Address: PO Box 483, Northam 6401
