The aim of this research is to stabilise yield and increase grower profitability through the reduction of loss associated with ascochyta blight in chickpea, caused by the fungus Phoma rabiei. Despite significant progress in breeding, ascochyta blight remains a major disease of chickpea in Australia with recent evidence suggesting that changes in the ascochyta fungal population are resulting in higher frequencies of highly aggressive isolates across many key growing regions.

To counter this, the current project will use a combination of genetic and genomic resources including effective molecular genetic tools and accurate phenotyping for qualitative and quantitative resistance to:

1. Undertake annual screening of targeted cultivated and wild chickpea accessions to identify resistance sources as good as or better than current benchmarks;
2. Undertake complex genetic analysis combining both historic and newly generated phenotypic and genotyping data to characterise major resistance loci and develop selection tools that will support an accelerated approach to incorporate combinations of major genes in new varieties; and

3. Develop and maintain a crossing pipeline of novel genes and allelic variants with adapted germplasm to deliver major and minor gene combinations to chickpea breeders.

   The application of genomic selection and other statistical methods will drive quantitative resistance gene introgression via rapid-cycle ('speed') breeding to generate genetic stocks with single genes for resistance.