The disease occurred in a number of crops, but caused little damage and has probably been in Australia for some time. Ascochyta blight is the major disease of chickpea in Mediterranean environments worldwide. It is particularly severe on chickpeas during cool, wet winters. The disease infects all above ground parts of the plant including the seeds, pods, leaves and stems.
Lesions can girdle stems, often killing infected plants.
The pathogen survives in crop residues and is spread to new areas in infected seed. The disease is favoured by wet and mild conditions, particularly during the spring when the canopy is dense. We have shown that A. rabiei is already in South Australia, however, its distribution elsewhere in Australia is unknown. There have been a number of outbreaks of diseases in chickpeas which resemble Ascochyta blight, however, identified as Phoma medicaginis or Phoma pinodella , related pathogens on lucerne and medic, and peas respectively. WHAT TO LOOK FOR The pathogen infects all parts of the plant, however, the most damage is caused when it infects the stems.