Screening of linseed genotypes for resistance against Alternaria blight and powdery mildew in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.)

A set of thirty linseed genotypes from AICRP on Linseed, Raipur Chhattisgarh were screened against Alternaria blight and powdery mildew under natural conditions during Rabi 2021-22 and Rabi 2022-23 at the Research cum Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Alternaria blight and powdery mildew are significant diseases of Linseed (Linum usitatissimum L), reducing its yield and affecting its oil quality. The results of screening of alternaria blight and powdery mildew revealed that among the thirty genotypes assessed, eight was found to be completely disease- free, falling into the highly resistant category for powdery mildew. However, none of the genotypes exhibited high resistance to alternaria blight. Four genotypes displayed a resistant reaction to powdery mildew, while none exhibited resistance to alternaria blight during rabi 2021-22. During rabi 2022-23 three genotypes showed high resistance for the disease alternaria blight whereas, 14 genotypes showed high resistance for powdery mildew, 3 genotypes showed resistant reaction for alternaria blight and 2 genotypes showed resistance reaction for powdery mildew. The remaining genotypes exhibited moderately susceptible, susceptible or highly susceptible to Alternaria blight and powdery mildew infection. A highly resistant genotype could serve as a donor parent for breeding programs aimed at enhancing resistance to Alternaria blight and powdery mildew.