Sensitivity of Ascochyta Species Infecting Pea, Lentil, and Chickpea to Boscalid, Fluxapyroxad, and Prothioconazole

Abstract

Management of Ascochyta blight in pea, lentil, and chickpea relies on repeated fungicide applications, which has led to development of fungicide resistance and disease control failures in some systems. In vitro assays were conducted to determine baseline fungicide sensitivity in Mycosphaerella pinodes (Ascochyta pinodes), A. lentis, and A. rabiei populations to the demethylation-inhibiting fungicide prothioconazole and the succinate dehydrogenase-inhibiting fungicides boscalid and fluxapyroxad by determining the effective concentration at which 50% of germination or fungal growth was inhibited (EC₅₀). Mean boscalid EC₅₀ values from conidial germination assays were 0.669, 0.639, and 0.171 μg/ml and from mycelial growth assays were 0.258, 0.791, and 0.443 μg/ml for M. pinodes, A. lentis, and A. rabiei, respectively. Mean fluxapyroxad EC₅₀ values were 0.050, 0.763, and 0.057 μg/ml for M. pinodes, A. lentis, and A. rabiei, respectively. Mean baseline EC₅₀ values for prothioconazole with mycelial growth were 0.541, 0.604, and 0.283 μg/ml for M. pinodes, A. lentis, and A. rabiei, respectively. A single discriminatory fungicide concentration of 1 μg/ml was selected for all species. Established sensitivity profiles and discriminatory concentrations will be used to monitor sensitivity shifts in populations of Ascochyta spp. and to make effective disease management recommendations.