S. Riaz Malik - Pulses Programme, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad
S. M. Iqbal - Pulses Programme, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad
U. Iqbal - Pulses Programme, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad
I. Ahmad - Pulses Programme, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad
A. Majeed Haqqani - Pulses Programme, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad

During winter ۲۰۰۴ and ۲۰۰۵, two field and glasshouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the response of ۴۷۱ chickpea genotypes to Ascochyta rabiei, as Ascochyta blight (AB) disease in Chickpea (Cicer aurietimum). Frequent rainfall at flowering and pod formation stages made favorite conditions conducive for the infection and symptoms expression. So, the genotypes with high level of tolerance at seedling stage proved response to the pathogen under field condition. Disease at seedling and adult plant stage exhibited high association, although level of infection was higher at adult plant stage. In glasshouse ۶۵ genotypes at seedling stage and in field experiment ۱۴ genotypes at pod formation stage were resistant to the pathogen. Following green house and field screening methods, six genotypes FLIP۹۸-۲۲۹C, FLIP۸۲-۱۵۰C,NCS ۹۵۰۲۰۴, NCS ۹۵۰۲۱۹, NCS ۹۹۰۳ and PaidarxParbat from NARC and six lines (FLIP ۰۰-۲۰C, FLIP ۰۲-۱۸C, FLIP ۰۲-۴۴C, FLIP ۹۷-۱۲۰C, FLIP ۰۲-۳۹C and FLIP ۹۷-۱۰۲C) from ICARDA found resistant for multilocational / agronomic evaluation and use as resistant parent trials for high yielding AB resistance breeding varieties.   REFERENCES Reddy, M. V. and Kabbabeh S. (۱۹۸۴) Eradication of Ascochyta rabiei from chickpea seeds with thiabendazole. ICN, ۱۰, ۱۷-۱۸. Bashir, M. and Ilyas M. B. (۱۹۸۳) Chemical control of gram blight. Pak. J. Agri. Sci. ۲۰, ۱۵۲- ۱۵۸. Crino, P., Porta- Puglia A. and Saccardo F. (۱۹۸۵) Reaction of chickpea lines to Ascochyta rabiei in winter sowing in Italy. ICPN, ۱۲, ۲۷-۲۹. Hawtin, G. C. and Singh K. B. (۱۹۸۴) Prospects and potential of winter sowing of chickpea in the Mediterranean Region. Ascochyta blight and winter sowing of chickpeas. M. C. Saxena and K. B. Singh, Netherlands. pp. ۷- ۱۶ Hussain, S., Bashir M. Arshad M. and Bakhsh A. (۲۰۰۲) Evaluation of chickpea germplasm against Ascochyta Blight. Pak. J. Botany, ۳۴, ۴۲۹-۴۳۱. Ilyas, M. B. and Khan I. U. (۱۹۸۶) A low cost easy technique for the culturing of Ascochyta rabiei fungus. Pak. J. Agri. Sci, ۲۳, ۶۰. Ilyas et al., ۱۹۹۱; Hussain et al., ۲۰۰۲; Iqbal et al., ۲۰۰۲). Ilyas, M.B., Rehman A. and Iftikhar K. (۱۹۹۱) Sources of resistance in chickpea. Pak. J. Phytopathol., ۳:۸۳-۸۶.  Iqbal, S. M. (۲۰۰۲) Pathogenic variability and identification of resistance for Ascochyta blight of chickpea in Pakistan. PhD Dissertation, Quaid Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan, ۱۷۳ p. Iqbal, S. M., Ghafoor A. Ayub N. Ahmad I. and Bakhsh A. (۲۰۰۳) Effect of Ascochyta blight on the productivity of chickpea. Pak. J. Botany, ۳۵, ۴۳۱-۴۳۷. Malik, B. A. (۱۹۸۴) Pulses in Pakistan with emphasis on chickpea and Ascochyta blight. n Proceedings of a Training course on Ascochyta blight of chickpea in Pakistan. ۳- ۱۰ March, ۱۹۸۴, Islamabad, Pakistan. pp. ۱- ۹ Haqqani, A. M., Zahid M. A. and Malik M. R. (۲۰۰۰) Legumes in Pakistan In: Legumes in rice and wheat cropping systems of the Indo- Gangetic plains-constraints and opportunities. pp. ۹۸- ۱۲۸. Nene, Y. L. and Reddy M. V. (۱۹۸۷) Chickpea diseases and their control. The Chickpea. M.C. Saxena and K.B. Singh, CAB International, Oxon, UK. pp. ۲۳۳- ۲۷۰ Nene, Y. L., Sheila V. K. and Sharma S. B. (۱۹۹۶) A world list of chickpea and pigeon pea pathogens. ICRISAT Pulse Pathology Progress Report ۳۲, ۵th Edition. Reddy, M. V. and Singh K. B. (۱۹۹۳) Rate reducing resistance to Ascochyta blight in chickpeas. Plant Disease ۷۷, ۲۳۱- ۲۳۳. Singh, K. B., Hawtin G. C. Nene Y. L. and Reddy M.V. (۱۹۸۱) Resistance in chickpeas to Ascochyta blight. Plant Disease. ۶۵, ۵۸۶- ۵۸۷. Singh, R. K. and Chaudhry B. D. (۱۹۸۵) Biometrical methods in quantitative genetic analysis. Kalyani Publishers, Ludhiana, New Delhi, ۳۰۳ p.

Germplasm, greenhouse, pod formation, resistant sources, chickpea and Ascochyta blight