Chickpea Ascochyta blight in Bulgaria
Chickpea Ascochyta blight in Bulgaria

Summary/Abstract: Ascochyta blight is the most important disease in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). The disease is distributed in North, Northeast and Southern regions in Bulgaria. It is caused by the fungus Ascochyta rabiei (Pass.) Lab. The pathogen overwintered in plant debris as pseudothecia or pycnidia and in infected seeds as pycnidia. Bulgarian population of A. rabiei have high virulence diversity and seven pathotypes distributed in Northeast Bulgaria are identified. Cultural practices and foliar spray are recommended for disease control but in Bulgaria only pyraclostrobin is registrated. Bulgarian cultivars Progres and Balkan are reported to be resistant in the past but now Bulgarian population of A. rabiei have virulent forms which overcome this resistance. Recently, the farmers used foreign cultivars with unknown reaction to Bulgarian population of the pathogen. This is possible to lead to epiphytotic disease development in years with favorable conditions.

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