Pathogenic characterization and mating type analysis of Didymella rabiei causing ascochyta blight of chickpea in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey

Fungal diseases cause considerable yield and quality losses in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) plants which is an economically significant legume species for Turkey. This study aimed to define disease incidence, pathotype identification and mating type definition of Ascochyta blight desesase in chickpea caused by Didymella rabiei (Kovachevski) vonArx [anamorph: Ascochyta rabiei (Passerini) Labrousse] in the Mediterranean and Aegean Regions of Turkey. Survey studies were conducted in 14 provinces of the Mediterranean and Aegean Regions in the period of June-July in the years of 2014, 2015 and 2016. According to survey studies, the highest disease severity was revealed in İzmir, Denizli and Adana provinces (48,60, 39,60 and 33,76 % respectively). A total of 494 isolates were obtained and maintained for long term storage. Among them, 108 isolates were evaluated through pathotyping analyses, and 1, 4, 6, 29, and 68 isolates were defined as Pathotype-I, Pathotype-II, Pathotype-III, Pathotype-IV and low virulent, respectively. The mating type analyses were conducted on 476 D. rabiei isolates and the ratios were determined as 59,03 % Mat 1.1 and 40,97 % Mat 1.2. Pathotype-IV has been a first report for the Mediterranean and Aegean Regions revealed through this thesis.