Mustard Malady Mastery Quiz

Explore the essential strategies and facts for managing diseases in mustard cultivation. This quiz covers identification, prevention, and control techniques to improve crop health and yield.

1. Identifying Common Mustard Disease Symptoms

   Yellowing and wilting of mustard leaves, sometimes with black spots on pods and stems, are characteristic symptoms of which common mustard disease?

   1. White rust
   2. Alternaria blight
   3. Powdery mildew
   4. Downy mildew

   Explanation: Alternaria blight is known for yellowing, wilting, and distinctive black spots on pods and stems. Powdery mildew causes white powdery patches, not black spots. Downy mildew leads to yellow angular spots with grey growth below. White rust features white blister-like pustules on leaves and stems, not black spots.

2. Disease Management Practice Selection

   Which management practice is most effective in reducing the primary inoculum of white rust in mustard fields before the next planting season?

   1. Overhead irrigation in early morning
   2. Applying nitrogen-rich fertilizers exclusively
   3. Crop rotation with non-cruciferous crops
   4. Early sowing of the mustard crop

   Explanation: Crop rotation helps break the disease cycle by reducing host availability for the pathogen. Overhead irrigation can increase disease spread due to higher humidity. Early sowing can escape some infections but doesn't directly reduce inoculum. Excessive nitrogen may increase disease susceptibility, not control.

3. Chemical Control Understanding

   A farmer observes whitish fungal growth on the underside of mustard leaves and seeks to apply a chemical for control. Which type of chemical is commonly recommended for downy mildew management?

   1. Plant growth regulator
   2. Insecticide
   3. Herbicide
   4. Systemic fungicide

   Explanation: Systemic fungicides can penetrate plant tissues and are effective against downy mildew. Herbicides are used for weed control, not fungal diseases. Insecticides target insect pests, not fungi. Plant growth regulators aid growth and development but do not manage diseases.

4. Resistant Variety Advantage

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

   1. It increases water efficiency
   2. It reduces reliance on chemical pesticides
   3. It promotes weed suppression
   4. It accelerates flowering significantly

   Explanation: Resistant varieties decrease the need for chemical treatments by lowering disease incidence. While healthy plants may grow better, resistance does not affect water use or directly suppress weeds. Flowering is also not directly accelerated by disease resistance genes.

5. Disease Spread Scenario

   If a farmer repeatedly notices rapid disease spread in mustard after rainfall, which environmental factor is most likely contributing to this problem?

   1. Neutral soil pH
   2. High humidity
   3. Strong wind only during night
   4. Low sunlight

   Explanation: High humidity following rainfall creates favorable conditions for most mustard pathogens to multiply and spread. Neutral soil pH generally affects overall plant health, not rapid disease outbreaks. Low sunlight can weaken plants but isn't the main factor in rapid spread after rain. Nighttime winds alone don't drive such outbreaks.