Mastering Mustard Maladies Quiz

Explore effective strategies for managing common diseases in mustard crops, encompassing identification, prevention, and sustainable control methods. Strengthen your understanding of agricultural best practices for healthier mustard yields.

1. Downy Mildew Management

   Which cultural practice is most recommended to reduce the risk of downy mildew infection in mustard fields?

   1. Frequent overhead irrigation
   2. Crop rotation with non-cruciferous crops
   3. Continuous mustard cropping
   4. Increased nitrogen fertilization

   Explanation: Rotating with non-cruciferous crops interrupts the disease cycle of downy mildew pathogens, reducing their buildup in soil. Continuous mustard cropping encourages pathogen persistence. Frequent overhead irrigation increases humidity, promoting disease, and excess nitrogen can lead to lush growth susceptible to infection.

2. White Rust Symptoms

   What is a distinctive symptom of white rust in mustard plants?

   1. Black sooty mold on pods
   2. Brown concentric rings on older leaves
   3. Yellowing between leaf veins
   4. White blister-like pustules on leaves and stems

   Explanation: White rust presents as raised, white blisters mostly on leaves and stems. Yellowing between veins is characteristic of nutrient deficiencies. Brown concentric rings usually indicate Alternaria blight, and black sooty mold suggests another type of fungal infection, not white rust.

3. Alternaria Blight Chemical Control

   Which type of pesticide is primarily used for managing Alternaria blight in mustard crops?

   1. Nematicide
   2. Fungicide
   3. Herbicide
   4. Insecticide

   Explanation: Fungicides specifically target fungal pathogens such as Alternaria. Herbicides manage weeds, insecticides control pests, and nematicides target nematodes, none of which directly address Alternaria blight.

4. Powdery Mildew: Favorable Conditions

   Under which environmental conditions does powdery mildew typically thrive in mustard fields?

   1. Sustained heavy rainfall and waterlogged soils
   2. Intense, continuous direct sunlight
   3. Warm, dry days with cool, humid nights
   4. Extreme cold and frost

   Explanation: Powdery mildew often develops when days are warm and dry but nights are cool and humid, creating favorable conditions for spore germination. Heavy rain and waterlogging or extreme frost do not suit the pathogen, and direct sunlight can suppress its growth.

5. Resistant Varieties

   Why is cultivating disease-resistant mustard varieties considered a sustainable management practice?

   1. It reduces reliance on chemical controls
   2. It shortens the mustard growing season
   3. It increases pesticide application frequency
   4. It guarantees 100% disease elimination

   Explanation: Disease-resistant varieties help lower the need for fungicides and other chemicals, promoting sustainable practices. They do not guarantee total disease elimination, nor do they require more pesticides or necessarily shorten the growing season.