Alternaria Blight of Oilseed Brassicas: Epidemiology and Disease Control Strategies with Special Reference to Use of Biotechnological Apporoaches for attaining Host Resistance

Abstract

The production of oilseed brassicas, second largest oilseed crops grown in the world, is gravely hampered by
the fungal diseases; Alternaria blight being one of the most ravaging fungal disease. The pseudo-fungi, not
only leads to yield reduction by causing foliar damage to the crop, but also severely deteriorates the oil quality.
With no available sources of durable resistance in the presently cultivated varieties of rapeseed-mustard,
efforts are being made throughout the world to develop stable disease resistance in oilseed brassicas by
utilizing the contemporary tools of biotechnology. The paper gives a comprehensive description of the
Alternaria blight pathogen and various technologies viz. embryo rescue, somatic hybridization, somaclonal
variations, genetic transformation, molecular markers, signal transduction, being used for incorporation of
resistance against the pathogen in oil-yielding brassicas.