Crop Nutrition Deficiencies Can Increase Pest Issues
Crop nutrients are often viewed simply as plant food necessary for improved plant growth and yield.
Depending on the nutrient, nutritional status of the plant, plant species, and type of pathogen or pest, nutrition can affect the resistance or tolerance of the plant. As an example, a plant experiencing a nutritional deficiency may experience metabolic alterations that do not allow the plant to respond appropriately to the presence of a pathogen. This altered response may allow for disease infection even though the plant had a mechanism to deal with the pathogen.
Read more about the deeper relationship between nutrition, plant diseases, and pests in Marschner’s Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants.
