Drought attenuates plant responses to multiple rhizospheric pathogens: A study on a dry root rot-associated disease complex in chickpea fields

•Dry root rot and wilt are the primary components of a new root disease complex in chickpeas.•Drought exacerbates the incidence of the root disease complex and increases yield loss in chickpeas.•Mild drought promotes existence of some pathogenic fungi, leading to a more severe root disease complex.•Drought-tolerant chickpea genotypes demonstrate reduced incidence of the disease complex under drought conditions.•ABA, SA, and JA hormones function in the defense against the disease complex and drought occurring simultaneously.