A big breakthrough in lentil disease resistance and how to manage ascochyta blight Artwork

Crop Disease Podcast

Constantly dealing with disease outbreaks on your paddock? Sprayed a fungicide lately that just didn’t seem to work? Or perhaps trying to catch up on some agronomy while on the move? Join Megan Jones from the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) as she interviews researchers, growers and agronomists on all things crop disease from across the Australian grain growing region. The CCDM is a national research centre co-supported by Curtin University and the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

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Crop Disease Podcast

A big breakthrough in lentil disease resistance and how to manage ascochyta blight

September 19, 2022 • CCDM

At CCDM, for the first time ever we recently discovered a gene in the fungal pathogen causing ascochyta blight that triggers disease resistance in lentils.

Why is this something? Because this discovery has huge implications on the way growers will select their lentil varieties for maximum resistance in the near future. In this episode, CCDM researchers Lars Kamphuis and Bernadette Henares will tell us all about it.

SARDI Pulse Pathologist Sara Blake also features on the show, with advice on how to manage ascochyta blight right now and for the rest of the season. Sara also mentions she is happy to be contacted for management or diagnostic advice, see contact details below.

There’s also a call out for diseased lentil leaves, so if you have ascochyta blight on your lentils, please get in touch with your local state pulse pathologist:

SA: Sara Blake, SARDI; Email: sara.blake@sa.gov.au; Phone: 8429 2248; Twitter: @Sara_N_Blake

VIC: Josh Fanning, Agriculture Victoria; Email: joshua.fanning@agriculture.vic.gov.au Phone: 0419 272 075

WA: Andrea Hills, DPIRD; Email: andrea.hills@dpird.wa.gov.au; Phone: 9083 1144

For more information: Bernadette Henares, CCDM; Email: Bernadette.henares@curtin.edu.au; Phone: 9266 3042