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The pathogenicity of 45 isolates of Ascochyta pinodes, Ascochyta pisi and Phoma medicaginis var. pinodella collected in South Australia has been examined on selected pea lines. Twenty-six isolates of A. pinodes were differentiated into 15 pathotypes, 15 isolates of A. pisi were differentiated into 13 pathotypes, and four isolates of P. medicaginis var. pinodella into one pathotype. Adequate sources of resistance were identified against all the pathotypes excepting pathotypes 1 of A. pinodes and A. pisi. The necessity to breed for broadly based resistance to Ascochyta species is discussed.

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The economic importance and current progress made in studies of the host-parasite relationship and identification of sources of resistance and breeding strategies of some important biotic diseases of pea are reviewed in this paper . The root rot complex caused by Rhizoctonia solani, Fusarium solani, Aphanomyces euteiches, Pythium ultimum and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp . pisi, race 1 and 2 has been reported from all commercial pea growing areas of the world . Adequate sources of resistance have been identified and there has been impressive success in the control of the Fusarium wilt pathogen following the introduction of wilt-resistant cultivars . Leaf and stem diseases of pea caused by the Ascochyta complex, Peronospora viciae and Erysiphe pisi are prevalent in most temperate pea growing regions of the world . Several sources of resistance are available, some of which are surprisingly durable . The biochemical genetic parameters of phenolic content used for assaying resistance to Erysiphe pisi offers an alternative method of evaluating breeding material . Wild relatives of pea (Pisum fulvum and P humile) are valuable additional sources of genetic variation and provide good sources of resistance to pests and diseases . In temperate rainfed pea growing areas of southern Australia, pea seed yield is more closely related to dry matter production than harvest index . Tall and leafy cultivars proved more productive than afila types .

Protein and yield data were obtained from South Australian and Interstate pea and lentil variety trials conducted between 1986 and 1989, covering 94 pea and 58 lentil genotypes. Crude protein concentration varied significantly across sites and averaged 25.0% in peas and 24.4% in lentils. Protein concentration was not significantly correlated with yield at most individual sites. Minimum protein concentration in peas was 1.6% below the mean of three check cultivars in line RA155, while the maximum was 2.3% above that mean in lines P255-2 and P262-1. In lentils the range was 1.2% above the check mean in ILL5562 and 1.0% below in ILL6017. A further lentil genotype, 'Chilean', was 6.0% above controls, but was inadequately replicated in these trials. Genotypic variation in pea and lentil protein concentration was lower than in many other species, but the lack of correlation between protein and yield suggests that independent selection of both characters during breeding is possible and should be successful without the rate of gain in one trait being reduced by that in the other.