Alternaria incidence in some alloplasmic lines of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Coss.)

The cytoplasmic substitution lines of Brassica juncea (L.) Coss were evaluated for their field resistance to Alternaria blight (Alternaria brassicae). The euplasmic B. juncea cv. 'RLM 198' had a mesothetic reaction while alloplasmic B. juncea lines with cytoplasms of B. campestris, B. chinensis, and B. japonica were highly susceptible. B. nigra cytoplasm did not have any effect on the disease reaction of the B. juncea genome. However, the alloplasmic lines with the cytoplasm of B. napus and B. carinata revealed a comparatively higher degree of resistance. The study underlined the utility of cytoplasmic manipulations in modifying the phenotypic expression of nuclear genes.