EVALUATION OF CHICKPEA ELITE LINES AGAINST ASCOCHYTA BLIGHT AND FUSARIUM WILT

Low yield of chickpea in Pakistan is due to the existence of wilt and blight diseases. Screening of existing germplasm against diseases is pre requisite for crop improvement. Pathogens of wilt and blight diseases were isolated from diseased samples and inoculum was prepared. Forty one chickpea genotypes containing approved varieties, advance lines etc., were screened in blight and wilt inoculated nurseries under controlled conditions separately. The experiment was laid out under augmented design. The experiment was conducted at Arid Zone Research Institute, Bhakkar, Pakistan during 2019-2021. Data for each disease was collected according to respective disease scales. The scale (1-9) was used for recording the data. Out of total forty-one genotypes, only two varieties (Bittal-16 and Niab-16) were moderately resistant, sixteen genotypes were susceptible and the rest were highly susceptible to Ascochyta blight disease. The level of resistance in blight experiment was 3.27% while susceptibility level was 96.72%. In case of second experiment of chickpea wilt was sown in sick plot. For Fusarium wilt, four genotypes (TG 1708, TG 1710, TG 1712 & TG 1808) were found resistant, fifteen were moderately resistant, twelve were susceptible and the remaining were highly susceptible. The resistant level in this experiment was 6.5%, moderately resistant was 24.59% and remaining susceptible and highly susceptible was 73.77%. The genotypes showed resistance against Ascochyta blight and Fusarium wilt can be utilized in future breeding programs to develop high yielding disease resistant cultivars of chickpea.