Didymella rabiei, the teleomorph of Ascochyta rabiei, found on chickpea stubble in Western Australia

Ascospores of Didymella rabiei were trapped from chickpea stubble containing naturally occurring pseudothecia. Ascospores produced typical Ascochyta rabiei cultures on potato-dextrose agar plus gentamicin. Ascochyta blight developed on chickpea plants inoculated with conidia derived from single-ascospore cultures. This is the first record of the teleomorph, D. rabiei, in Australia. Its presence has implications in the long distance dispersal and epidemiology of ascochyta blight.