Effective Crop Nutrition, Better Crop Protection: The role of nutrition in crop protection

Crop Protection starts with Efficient Crop Nutrition

Crop or plant nutrition is defined as the study of the chemical elements and compounds necessary for plant growth, plant metabolism and their external supply (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_nutrition). Crops require the right nutrients for satisfactory growth and quality production. Proper nutrient management is necessary to optimize yield and the quality of produce as well as improve the crops’ resilience to stress. All the essential nutrients can affect disease severity (Huber and Graham, 1999). Nutrients can affect disease resistance or tolerance (Graham and Webb, 1991). It is therefore important to provide crops with the right nutrients through fertilizer application or to apply beneficial compounds that can influence nutrient availability and uptake, and in that way to enhance the crops’ resistance to certain stresses. The foliar application of fertilizer or other nutrition supplement produces a more direct means of using nutrients to reduce the severity of certain diseases and together with other practices can reduce the effect of diseases and environmental stress to crops.

The effects of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) on parasitic diseases can be of particular importance for fertilizer application. Potassium deficiency increases the susceptibility of host plants to obligate and facultative parasites, as it reduces the synthesis of high-molecular-weight compounds such as proteins, starch, and cellulose (Huber et al.2011). Nutrients such as calcium and magnesium are considered to have important role in crop protection. Calcium (Ca) plays a key role in recognizing pathogenic invaders at the plasma membrane and in the stability of biomembranes, and their deficiency in plant tissues increases their susceptibility to parasitic diseases during storage (Huber et al.2011). The right amount of magnesium (Mg) applied at the proper time can have both indirect as well as direct effects on disease. A specific mechanism of defense to diseases enhanced by Mg includes increased resistance of tissues to degradation by pectolytic enzymes of bacterial soft rotting pathogens. Management of Mg nutrition to reduce disease, in balance with other minerals, is an underutilized tool for disease control (D.M. Huber & J. Jones, 2013). Zinc (Zn) on the other hand has an important role in maintaining structural integrity of cell walls. Crops that are deficient in Zn are more susceptible to root diseases and application of fertilizers with Zn can reduce the infection.

These are only some of the beneficial effects of proper and efficient fertilizer application and there are also other beneficial compounds and nutrition supplements available to crops for this purpose. Referred today as biostimulants, some of these products are formulations containing seaweed extract, amino acids, humic acids, chitosan oligosaccharides, beneficial microorganisms and more. Seaweed extract, for one, has long been used as nutrition supplement. Seaweed-based fertilizers are known to provide all the beneficial effects of plant hormones and other beneficial compounds on the growth and development of plants. They are known to improve crop vigor, yield, quality and tolerance of abiotic stresses. Combined with an effective fertilizer program, these biostimulants can also reduce the application of regular inorganic fertilizers in the long run because they can enhance nutrient uptake from the soil and improve the efficiency of plant protection products on top of their capacity to enhance the plants own defense system. Chitosan, on the other hand, is being considered for its role in plant disease protection and post-harvest benefits such as extension of shelf-life. Beneficial microorganism such as effective bacilli are already being used for disease prevention and soil condition improvement.

The prevention of diseases through balanced, effective and efficient nutrition program for crops are imperative in plant protection. This is more desirable and sustainable than finding ways to mitigate the effects of diseases once the crops are already infected. Balanced nutrition also plays a critical role in helping the crops cope with extreme environmental conditions such as drought.

2201 R.E.N. Corporation has considered all these factors in launching NutriProtek^® Enhanced Efficiency Nutrition Products for Crops. We firmly believe that protection starts with providing effective and efficient nutrition to crops right from the start. Our products can answer most of your crops’ need for nutrients that can enhance and complement your crop nutrition and protection programs. The products consist of enhanced efficiency fertilizers and enhanced seaweed-based supplement

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Ï EFFECTIVE CROP NUTRITION, BETTER CROP PROTECTIONÒ

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