Ongoing major farming systems research across the Australian grain belt involving Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funding, as well as agencies like NSW Department of Primary Industries, is showing profitable farming is improved by increased inclusion of legume pastures and crops in the rotation.
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However, as NSW DPI project officer Penny Heuston stresses, pulses have had a reputation for being hard to grow but this is not the case.
A high standard of disease management is needed and NSW DPI's new disease management publications aim to help manage these issues.
This includes the 2024 edition of Managing Diseases Of Chickpeas.
The guide has input from NSW DPI's leading plant pathologists, including Joop van Leur, Sean Bithell and Kurt Lindbeck.
For chickpeas, a number of crucial key management factors should be considered.
Foremost, as Ms Heuston stresses, is understanding the disease risk for each paddock. Is it high or low? Can that disease be controlled in-crop?
The most important chickpea diseases are ascochyta blight (AB), botrytis diseases, phytophthora root rot (PRR), sclerotinia, and viruses.
Root lesion nematodes (RLN), such as Pratylenchus thornei, can attack both cereals and pulses including chickpea.
An integrated management strategy will help with disease control.
Where possible, choose varieties with best available resistance rating.
This is especially relevant for AB and RLN, but is also helpful for other diseases (see 2024 NSW DPI Winter Crop Variety Sowing Guide, page 106, for more information).
Understanding climatic and paddock conditions that favour each disease is important, along with its life cycle and disease symptoms. The publication includes useful photos and descriptions.
A number of cultural controls can be employed to help disease control.
These include avoiding sowing chickpea in the same paddock for at least four years and not sowing next to the previous year's chickpea crop.
If you see intact chickpea stubble, assume viable disease pathogens could be present, the guide warns.
Eliminate volunteer chickpea plants over summer and autumn by controlling the green bridge.
Volunteer plants harbour diseases, such as AB, and hosts aphids that transmit viruses.
Ms Heuston and colleagues advise treating all planting seed with a registered fungicide, whether there has been disease in the district or not.
Only use fungicides registered for use in chickpea. Diseases, such as AB, can be spread by untreated seed.
AB is the biggest chickpeas disease threat.
More virulent isolates of AB have been identified in all states in recent years.
It is important to monitor crops early and assume a moderately susceptible rating at best for commercial desi varieties.
AB persists on chickpea seed, stubble and volunteers, with chickpea the only known host.
It can be viable for several years on unbroken down stubble.
A preventative fungicide before the first rainfall event post-emergence is recommended.
Monitor for AB post-rainfall and apply a fungicide before the next rainfall event if the disease is detected in the paddock or adjacent areas.
Preventative fungicides applied before rainfall are the most reliable and cost effective.
The guide advises to avoid planting chickpea into poorly drained paddocks and those prone to waterlogging, especially for PRR.
Planting to paddocks previously grown to lucerne or medics are also at a higher PRR risk.
There are no in-crop options for PRR control, with varietal and paddock choice the only options to reduce disease severity.
Predicta B tests provide a good guide for a number of diseases, as well as RLNs. For example, detection of PRR means a higher risk of developing the disease under favourable conditions.
Botrytis pathogen is found everywhere, with a wide plant species host range.
Botrytis causes both botrytis grey mould and botrytis seedling disease.
Control options include appropriately treated seed to help eliminate or reduce the disease impact.
Managing diseases in chickpeas in 2024 is available on the NSW DPI website.
Next week: Faba beans also requires a sound disease management program.
- Bob Freebairn is an agricultural consultant based at Coonabarabran. Email robert.freebairn@bigpond.com or contact 0428 752 149.
