Journal of Experimental Agriculture International

Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) is a major oilseed crop in India, but its productivity is severely constrained by white rust caused by Albugo candida. Despite the availability of fungicides, botanicals, and resistant varieties, region-specific information on disease incidence and effective management in the Bundelkhand region remains limited. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to survey the occurrence of white rust, assess its severity, and evaluate suitable management strategies for reducing yield losses in mustard. A roving survey was conducted in five districts of Bundelkhand (Jhansi, Lalitpur, Banda, Hamirpur, and Chitrakoot), covering 75 farmers' fields, to assess disease incidence and severity. Disease incidence and severity were recorded using standard formulae and a 0-9 disease-rating scale. Field experiments were conducted in a randomised block design with three replications and nine treatments comprising fungicides and botanical extracts. The treatments included Apron 35 SD, Metalaxyl MZ, Mancozeb, and botanical extracts of neem (Azadirachta indica), garlic (Allium sativum), turmeric (Curcuma longa), and onion (Allium cepa). Observations on disease incidence, disease severity, plant height, and seed yield were recorded. The survey results revealed that white rust incidence in the Bundelkhand region ranged from 10.40 to 25.87 per cent, with the highest mean incidence recorded in Jhansi (21.33%) and the lowest in Chitrakoot (16.66%). Among the management treatments evaluated, treatment T₂ (Apron 35 SD seed treatment followed by a foliar spray of Metalaxyl MZ at 0.2%) was the most effective. It recorded the lowest disease incidence (16.60%), minimum disease severity (8.83%), highest disease control (55.13%), and complete suppression of staghead infection (0.00%). The treatment also produced the maximum plant height (89.0 cm) and seed yield (1,614 kg ha⁻¹), representing a 55.19 per cent increase over the untreated control. Furthermore, treatment T₂ generated the highest gross income (Rs. 96,840 ha⁻¹) and benefit-cost ratio (1:4.30), indicating superior economic viability. Although other fungicidal treatments, particularly treatment T₄ (Metalaxyl MZ at 0.2%) and T₅ (Mancozeb at 0.2%), reduced disease and improved yield, their performance was lower than that of treatment T₂. Botanical treatments showed moderate efficacy, with neem (Azadirachta indica) extract performing better than the other botanicals. Overall, seed treatment with Apron 35 SD followed by foliar application of Metalaxyl MZ at 0.2% was the most effective and economically favourable strategy for managing white rust of mustard under the study conditions in Bundelkhand.