Journal of Environmental Biology

Comparative study on the effect of chemicals on Alternaria blight in

Indian mustard – A multi-location study in India

 

Author Details

 

P.D. Meena

Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (ICAR), Sewar, Bharatpur - 321 303, India

C. Chattopadhyay

(Corresponding author)

Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (ICAR), Sewar, Bharatpur - 321 303, India

e-mail: chirantan_cha@hotmail.com

A. Kumar

Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (ICAR), Sewar, Bharatpur - 321 303, India

R.P. Awasthi

Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, GBPUAT, Pantnagar 263145, India

R. Singh

Department of Plant Pathology, CCSHAU, Hisar 125004, India

S. Kaur

Department of Plant Breeding, Genetics & Biotechnology, PAU, Ludhiana 141 004, India

L. Thomas

Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (ICAR), Sewar, Bharatpur - 321 303, India

P. Goyal

Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (ICAR), Sewar, Bharatpur - 321 303, India

P. Chand

TCA, RAU, Dholi 843121, Bihar, India

 

 

Publication Data

Paper received:

22 April 2010

 

Revised received:

20 September 2010

 

Accepted:

24 September 2010

 

Abstract

High severity of Alternaria blight disease is a major constraint in production of rapeseed-mustard in India. The aim of this study was to investigate the suppressive potential of chemicals viz., zinc sulphate, borax, sulphur, potash and calcium sulphate, aqueous extracts viz., Eucalyptus globosus (50 g l^-1) leaf extract and garlic (Allium sativum) bulb (20 g l^-1) extract, cow urine and bio-agents Trichoderma harzianum, Pseudomonas fluorescence in comparison with the recommended chemical fungicide (mancozeb), against foliar disease Alternaria blight of Indian mustard [Brassica juncea (L.) Czern. and Coss] under five different geographical locations of India.  Mancozeb recorded the lowest mean severity (leaf: 33.1%; pod: 26.3%) of Alternaria blight with efficacy of garlic bulb extract alone (leaf = 34.4%; pod = 27.3%) or in combination with cow urine (leaf = 34.2%; pod = 28.6%) being statistically at par with the recommended chemical fungicide. Chemicals also proved effective in reducing Alternaria blight severity on leaves and pods of Indian mustard (leaf = 36.3-37.9%; pod = 27.5-30.1%). The effective treatments besides providing significant reduction in disease severity also enabled increase in dry seed yield of the crop (mancozeb = 2052 kg ha^-1; garlic = 2006 kg ha^-1; control = 1561 kg ha^-1).

 

Key words

Alternaria brassicae, Brassica juncea, Chemicals, Plant extracts

 

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