Advances in winter pulse pathology research in Australia

Pulse crops in Australian broad-acre agriculture are a relatively small but essential component of present-day farming systems. Winter pulses, particularly the five accounted for in this review, dominate pulse area and production in this country. The Australian pulse industry has experienced devastating epidemics of diseases such as lupin anthracnose and chickpea ascochyta blight. In addition, many other diseases have appeared regionally. Research on various aspects was directed towards managing these diseases in individual regions, states and nationally. This review addresses advances in pathology related to bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens in lupins, chickpeas, field peas, lentils and faba beans. In addition to fundamental epidemiological and disease control studies, this paper includes molecular studies and quantitative epidemiology leading to disease modelling and disease forecasting. It also highlights the efforts undertaken recently by pulse pathologists in Australia to strengthen collaborative research nation-wide.