Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
(eISSN: 2229-4473)
Biofumigation efficacy of Brassica spp. against Alternaria brassicae: species, tissue type, dose, and in vivo suppression
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Rao Yaragorla Hanumantha, Srivastava Mukesh, Singh Siddharth
Research Articles | Published: 19 September, 2026
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Keywords: Biofumigation, n Alternaria brassicaen , Glucosinolates, Isothiocyanates, n Brassica spp., Dose–response, Conidial germination, Pot experiment
Abstract
Alternaria blight, caused by Alternaria brassicae (Berk.) Sacc., inflicts yield losses of 15–71% in mustard (Brassica juncea L.) across India. Biofumigation exploits volatile isothiocyanates (ITCs) released upon myrosinase-mediated hydrolysis of glucosinolates in disrupted Brassica tissues as an eco-friendly alternative to fungicides. Six experiments evaluated: sealing delay (immediate to 48 h) on antifungal efficacy (Experiments I–II, replicated independently); species- and tissue-type comparisons (B. juncea, B. nigra, B. oleracea; leaf, stem, seed meal) at 2.0 g plate?1 (Experiment III); dose–response (0.5–4.0 g plate?1; Experiment IV); conidial germination and germ-tube elongation inhibition (Experiment V); and an in vivo pot experiment with soil incorporation or surface mulch at 5 and 10 t ha?1 equivalents (Experiment VI). Immediate sealing achieved 100% inhibition of mycelial growth and zero conidial germination; both declined progressively with delayed containment. B. juncea leaf tissue outperformed all other species and tissues. The minimum effective dose for complete in vitro suppression was 2.0 g plate?1. In vivo, B. juncea leaf soil incorporation at 10 t ha?1 reduced disease incidence by 89.97% and PDI by 85.96%, approaching mancozeb efficacy, while significantly restoring plant height, leaf number, chlorophyll content and dry biomass. These findings establish a quantitative, multi-scale framework for optimising Brassica residue biofumigation against A. brassicae in mustard cropping systems.
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Author Information
Department of Plant Pathology, Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, India