White rust caused by Albugo candida, an oomycete pathogen, is a devastating disease of Brassica juncea (Indian mustard) worldwide. There is a need to screen virulent white rust isolates to challenge the developed white rust-resistant B. juncea cultivars to screen their resistance potential. The current study explores pathogenic and biochemical response of Indian mustard to white rust isolates collected from three different geographic locations of India. The observations refine our understanding of the disease severity in India. Disease progression and biochemical responses were studied in the cotyledonary as well as true leaf stage of the B. juncea cultivar Varuna at different time points. The biochemical findings highlight the fluctuation of significant biochemical parameters such as total proteins, sugars, and phenols, superoxide dismutase, and hydrogen peroxide during the A. candida infection in B. juncea.
Keywords: Albugo candida; Biochemical analysis; Brassica juncea; host-pathogen interaction; white rust disease; white rust resistance.