Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2019) 8(10): 1113-1122 1113 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2019.810.130 Effect of Plant Defense Activators on White Rust of Mustard CV. RH- 749 under Artificial Epiphytotic Conditions Hanuman Singh 1* , R.S. Ratnoo 2 , A. Trivedi 2 , H.K. Jain 2 , V. Saharan 2 and F.L. Sharma 2 1 College of Horticulture and Forestry, Agriculture University, Kota, India 2 Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Plants undergo several stresses throughout their life span and respond them through numerous chemical and physical stimuli (Omidi, 2010). Plants are prepared through pre-formed or constitutive mechanical and chemical barriers as well as with inducible defense systems to protect themselves from the attack of different pathogens such as bacteria, virus, fungi, nematodes and parasitic plants in their environment. Induction of defensive system in plants can be achieved or enhanced by pretreatment of plants with avirulent pathogen (biotic inducers) or chemical compounds (abiotic inducers). These biotic and abiotic inducers are known as elicitors. Elicitors are low molecular weight compounds which induces a systemic defense response in plants. These elicitors are synthesized by itself or released from polymeric precursors through infection by pathogen (Ozeretskovskaya and Vasyukova, 2002; Zhao et al., 2005, Holopainen et al., 2009). Induced resistance has been exploited extensively for the management of many plant diseases (Gorlach et al., 1996). Several compounds such as salicylic acid (Yalpani and Raskin, 1993), benzothiadiazoles (Narusaka, et al., 1999), fatty acids and oligosaccharides International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 10 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The size of pustule of white rust was recorded minimum in Metalaxyl 0.3% was 0.32 mm followed by Metalaxyl 0.2% (0.33 mm) in cv. RH-749 during 2015-16 while maximum size of pustules were observed in check was 6.55 mm followed by zinc sulphate at 0.50% (5.88 mm) during 2016-17. Among the abiotic chemicals, salicylic acid was recorded significantly better over all the treatments. The number of pustules were recorded maximum in the check was 7.47 and 7.53 followed by zinc sulphate at 0.50 % was 7.13 and 7.27 during 2015-16 and 2016-17, respectively. Salicylic acid 0.25% reduce 31.50% white rust disease over the control followed by calcium sulphate at 1.00% which reduce disease 23.99%. Zinc sulphate at 0.50% was found least effective abiotic chemical which reduce 6.14% disease. Keywords Plant defense activators, Mustard, Epiphytotic Accepted: 10 September 2019 Available Online: 10 October 2019 Article Info