Study of the phase chickpea-rabies producing fungus in Argentina

Published 2021년 3월 5일

Tridge summary

Researchers at Argentina's INTA Institute of Plant Pathology are conducting studies on the sexual reproductive stage of the Ascochytarabiei fungus, the cause of chickpea rabies or blight. The research, which could benefit producers and plant breeders, has revealed the presence of both mating types in the region, suggesting that sexual reproduction is possible under certain environmental conditions. This finding is crucial as it could lead to fungicide resistance and the emergence of more virulent biotypes, currently only controlled by a few fungicides and with no resistant commercial varieties available. The institute is also exploring biological control methods using Trichoderma spp. and endophytic chickpea bacteria. Additionally, INTA is developing a molecular detection method for the pathogen, which can identify the fungus's DNA in the early stages, before symptoms become confused with other diseases.

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Original content

Chickpea rabies or blight is the most destructive disease suffered by crops worldwide. It is caused by the Ascochytarabiei fungus and affects all the aerial parts of the plant: leaves, stems, petioles, pods and seeds. It is capable of causing yield losses of up to 100%, as observed in some batches after the first report in Argentina, in 2012. Until now, in the country, only the asexual (anamorphic) reproductive stage of this fungus and there are no antecedents related to the study of the development of the sexual stage in Argentina. In this sense, the INTA Institute of Plant Pathology, whose researchers have been working with this pathology since 2013, proposed to carry out the first research on the sexual phase in Argentina, with highly relevant results for both producers and plant breeders, since concluded that the sexual reproductive stage (teleomorph) could occur in the province of Córdoba, an important chickpea producing area in Argentina. “The sexual reproduction of A. ...

Source: Agroexpert