Alternaria blight and white rust are major diseases seriously affecting Indian mustard crop in south west region of Punjab. With the advancement of sowing dates, disease intensity increased. Early sown crop (Oct. 18) contracted moderate attack of these diseases and gave more yield irrespective of variety and chemical treatment. However, on late sown crop (Nov. 20) high intensity of white rust and Alternaria blight on leaf and inflorescence was recorded leading to less yield. Cultivar Varuna was found more susceptible than cv. PBR 91. Chemical treatment significantly reduced the disease indices and enhanced the yield over check. It is concluded that mustard cv. PBR 91 sown in mid October after seed treatment with metalaxyl (Apron 35 SD) ® 6 g/kg seed followed by first spray of metalaxyl+mancozeb (Ridomil MZ 72 WP) @ 0.25% at disease appearance followed by two subsequent sprays of mancozeb (Indofil M-45) @ 0.2% at 20 days interval reduced the diseases and improved grain yield to maximum.
Alternaria-blight, Chemical control, Cultural practices, Integrated management, White rust
