Variability in Virulence to Chickpea of an Italian Population of<i>Ascochyta rabiei</i>

Abstract

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.