A LOCAL study is set to help farmers make the most of their chickpea crops.
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The research is aimed at helping growers protect chickpea production and is being carried out by the NSW Department of Primary Industries' (DPI) at the Tamworth Agricultural Institute.
NSW DPI plant pathologist, Dr Kevin Moore said the study focused on one of the biggest challenges facing chickpea farmers Ascochyta blight.
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"The trial includes chickpea varieties currently grown throughout the northern growing region from Dubbo through to Central Queensland," Dr Moore said.
"The aim is to develop Ascochyta blight management packages for chickpea varieties that match a variety's resistance to Ascochyta."
Dr Moore said the region's long-term drought had increased the need to find more resistant strains of the crop.
"A chickpea variety rated very susceptible to Ascochyta, for example Kyabra, will require more intensive management, closer monitoring and more fungicide applications, than a variety with greater resistance, such as PBA Seamer," he said.
"As Ascochyta blight resistance increases, the reliance on fungicides decreases.
"The trial was inoculated in July 2020 with a cocktail of Ascochyta blight isolates collected from grower's crops over the past 10 seasons."
Since the trial began, researchers have performed three management treatments on crops that had been impacted to various degrees by the blight.
Among those tested were crops with low Ascochyta rates, high Ascochyta rates and a variety management package, where plots get their first fungicide spray at half the rate of the low Ascochyta treatment, based on the variety's Ascochyta rating.
Dr Moore said the study yielded many interesting results.
"The results show disease levels are very high in unprotected Kyabra, with plants almost dead, whereas unprotected PBA Seamer has only low levels of Ascochyta blight, illustrating the importance of resistance and differences between varieties," he said
"Growers are reminded to grow a variety with the highest level of Ascochyta blight resistance suitable for their area."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
