Field evaluation of lentil germplasms for their resistance to Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta lentis) under field conditions

Abstract

Ascochyta blight caused by Ascochyta lentis is a fungal disease with a major importance in Ethiopia. It has the potential to cause appreciable reduction in yield. The present study was conducted to identify the sources of resistance in lentil to ascochyta blight in 2018 main cropping season in hot spot area in AlemTena research station. The total of 148 accessions were received from Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute were grown in augmented design without replications that only checks were replicated. The spacing was 20 cm between rows with 4m row length. The disease severity was recorded three times at different growth stage every seven to ten days intervals using (1-9) point disease ratings scale. There were high variations in resistance among the tested lines ranged from resistant to highly susceptible. It compares that about 22 were resistant, 58 were moderately resistant and other become susceptible to highly susceptible which is 56 and 11 lines, respectively. In comparison, there are promising lines to use as source of parental materials in which most of the released cultivars lacking the resistance. A wide range of variation to ascochyta blight disease reaction was observed among lentil genotypes. More resistance resources need to be identified to back up breeding programs.