As a necrotrophic fungus, Ascochyta rabiei possesses various compounds that bypass host plant defense mechanisms. Understanding the genes responsible for its pathogenicity on chickpea plants is crucial for developing resistant cultivars. This study investigates the induction of programmed cell death by A. rabiei and its potential involvement during interaction with the chickpea plant. By tracking homologues of effector proteins from other necrotrophic pathogens, a candidate effector protein named GSh200 was identified in A. rabiei genomic data. The protein sequence of GSh200 was annotated using web-based tools and submitted to Gene Bank with the following accession number OR567501. Additionally, a homologue of the GAPDH gene (ArGAPDH) was identified using a homology-based search in the genome of A. rabiei and used as a reference gene. Specific primers were designed to confirm the presence of A. rabiei isolates in chickpea plants after fungal infection. Sequence analysis and alignment of the GSh200 gene in different A. rabiei pathotypes revealed identical sequences, indicating a potentially conserved role in pathogenicity. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the functional role of the GSh200 protein in inducing programmed cell death in chickpea plants.

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