Ascochyta blight

Ascochyta blight of chickpea is caused by the fungal pathogen Ascochyta rabiei. In 1998 there was a serious outbreak of the disease in Victoria, South Australia and NSW, which destroyed many crops. A number of varieties with improved resistance to ascochyta blight are now available. Variety selection and understanding the associated disease management package is critical for success.
This disease is usually first noticed in late winter when small patches of blighted plants appear throughout the paddock. The disease spreads during cool, wet weather from infected plants to surrounding plants by rain splash of spores. This creates large blighted patches within crops.