Overview

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) ranks third in pulse crop production worldwide. Currently, Montana is the top producer of chickpea accounting for 35% of production in the United States. Ascochyta blight (AB) caused by the pathogen Ascochyta rabiei, is a disease of chickpea that can cause significant losses and is a threat in all production areas. The ability of A. rabiei to overwinter and produce primary inoculum results in recurring seasonal epidemics that increase in severity over multiple seasons. However, the biology of the pathogen remains poorly understood, hindering the precise timing of early fungicide applications and leaving farmers dependent on less effective generalized disease management practices. Because of the large number of fungicide applications needed, AB is the primary limiting factor to farmers integrating chickpeas into their rotations. This research seeks to address this critical knowledge gap by investigating how overwintering structures of A. rabiei develop in different climates, the conditions for initial inoculum release, and how to best optimize fungicide applications.