Rohit Jaiswal, N.A. Khan and Hemant Kumar Yadav
Abstract
Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) faces significant yield losses due to Alternaria blight caused by Alternaria brassicae, particularly under salt-stressed conditions prevalent in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The present study evaluated thirty mustard genotypes for disease reaction, yield performance, and biochemical defense responses under four NaCl salinity levels (0, 25, 50 and 75 mM) in a Randomized Block Design during Rabi 2025â26 at ANDUA&T, Kumarganj, Ayodhya. Disease incidence, severity (PDI), morpho-yield traits, proline content, nitrate reductase (NR) and nitrite reductase (NiR) activities were recorded. Protein profiling was done by SDS-PAGE and pathogen identity was confirmed through ITS-based PCR amplification. Genotypes PB-50, PBR-210, PBR-97, CS-54 and DRMR-150-35 demonstrated consistently low disease incidence, superior yield and elevated biochemical defense parameters. PCR confirmed Alternaria brassicae as the causal pathogen. These genotypes hold promise as sources of combined bioticâabiotic stress tolerance for mustard breeding programmes.