In California, arugula (Eruca sativa) is grown commercially as a component of specialty mixed green salads. In 1999, white rust was observed on arugula in the central coast county of Santa Barbara. Symptoms consisted of white, blisterlike sori beneath the raised host epidermis on the underside of leaves from the seedling stage onward. Secondary infection of flower heads led to staghead development. Affected plantings were severely diseased and were not harvested. The pathogen was confirmed to be Albugo candida (Pers.) Kunze (2). Sporangia diameters ranged from 19.5 to 22.2 μm. Inoculum for pathogenicity tests was prepared by scraping sporangia from infected leaves and incubating them in sterile, distilled water for 12 h at 5°C to induce zoospore formation (1). The following plants were then spray inoculated: arugula, cauliflower (Brassica oleracea subsp. botrytis), Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris subsp. pekinensis), Japanese mustard (Brassica campestris subsp. nipposinica), red mustard (Brassica juncea subsp. rugosa), and tah tsai (Brassica campestris subsp. narinosa). Twelve plants of each species were inoculated with 1.5 × 104 spores per ml at the six- to eight-leaf stage. Plants were incubated in a dew chamber for 48 h at 18°C and then maintained in a greenhouse at 20 to 24°C. After 10 to 12 days, white rust pustules similar to the original symptoms observed in the field developed only on arugula. The experiment was conducted three times and the results were the same. Distinct biological races of A. candida have been described for some Brassicaceae hosts of white rust (1). This is the first report of white rust of arugula in California caused by A. candida.
References: (1) R. S. Pidskalny and S. R. Rimmer. Can. J. Plant Pathol. 7:283, 1985. (2) G. S. Pound and P. H. Williams. Phytopathology 53:1146, 1963.
