Ascochyta in Chickpea: Scout
Scout fields now for Ascochyta blight symptoms in chickpea. I've received several reliable reports that is is increasing in the triangle. Some photos below. The Fungicide table can be found at my Extension Plant Pathology Website. Send samples for confirmation early next week and/or text photos to my cell.
Note that varieties with resistance may not have the sterotypical concentric rings. There has been some herbicide injury in pea and lentil mimicing symptoms but lacking a brown border. Pea and lentil are generally more tolerant but current conditions where there is moisture are ideal for disease development.
On pea, bacterial blight is easily mistaken for Ascochyta blight. Bacterial blight is always associated with hail or driving rain with wind injuring leaves. Lesions stop at veins.
When choosing a fungicide please choose a product or blend with multiple modes of action when possible. Although resistance to strobilurin (QoI) fungicides has decreased in prevalence it can still occur. Applications are best made when the canopy is still open, after it is closed it is difficult to get fungicides to penetrate.
Risk factors include tight pulse rotations within the same crop (eg. chickpea/wheat/chickpea) or planting in neighboring fields downwind. Spores can travel 50m off of stubble from a previously infected crop. Other risk factors include warm temperatures, high humidity and splashing rain.
Ascochyta species from one crop cannot infect a different pulse crop, they are plant host specific.
If you have questions, call/email/text/tweet/FBmessage
--Mary Burrows
406-599-9966; [email protected]; @MontanaCropDoc