Variability in Virulence to Chickpea of an Italian Population of Ascochyta rabiei . Angelo PortaPuglia, Istituto Sperimentale per la Patologia Vegetale, Via Bertero 22, I-00156 Roma, Italy . Paola Crino, and Cesare Mosconi. Plant Dis. 80:39-41. Accepted for publication 23 May 1995. Copyright 1996 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-80-0039.

The reaction of 13 chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) genotypes tested separately with 41 Italian isolates of Ascochyta rabiei showed variability in the degree of virulence of the fungus. Three groups of isolates were identified by cluster analysis. The high percentage of isolates infecting all genotypes tested showed the need for more durable sources of resistance than those available in Italian chickpea cultivars.

Keyword(s): Cicer, physiological specialization