Drought confers tolerance to Ascochyta rabiei in chickpea

Drought and leaf blight caused by Ascochyta rabiei have been reported to co-occur in chickpea-producing areas. The response of chickpea to individual drought and A. rabiei infection has been extensively studied; however, their combined effect on plant defense mechanisms is unknown. Fine modulation of stress-induced signaling pathways under combined stress is an important stress adaptation mechanism that warrants a better understanding. Results show drought facilitates resistance against A. rabiei infection in chickpea. Further to understand at the molecular level stressed samples were analyzed for transcriptional variation by RNA-seq.