INTRODUCTION
Plant disease is a dynamic process which affects the normal physiology and vital functions of plants. There are many factors which influence the disease development. Effect of host plant nutrition is one of the major factors among them. Host plant nutrition means the nutrition state of an organism .nutrition plays an inevitable role in the growth and development of plants. Adequate amount of nutrition availability under favourable condition helps plants to prosper. The quantity and quality of nutrients not only help the flourishing of plants but also plays a major role in disease development .
Plant nutrients can be classified in to two
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- Macro nutrients: Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium
- Micro nutrients: iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, silicon.
EFFECT OF MACRONUTRIENTS
Nitrogen
- Excess nitrogen delays maturity.
- Results in the production of succulent stem and makes plants more susceptible to disease. Eg: Fire blight in pear caused by Erwinia amylovora
- Lack of nitrogen causes the formation of weak, slow growing and faster aging plants which are susceptible to pathogens Eg: Wilt of tomato caused by fusarium sps.
- Disease severity and resistance does not completely depends on the quantity of nitrogen but also the forms of nitrogen like ammonia and nitrate nitrogen
- Eg: the severity of root rots and wilts increases with ammonium nitrogen
- The take all of wheat , scab of potato are favoured by nitrate nitrogen
Phosphorous
- Generally increases resistance by improving the balance of nutrients or by accelerating maturity.
- But the higher amount of phosphorous increases severity of cucumber mosaic virus on spinach.
Potassium
- Seems to have direct effect on pathogen establishment
- Delays maturity and senescence in some crops and during these period infection by certain facultative parasites causes severe damages
- Eg: high amount of potassium seems to increase the severity of rice blast caused by Magnaporthe grisea
Calcium
- Plays a major role in disease resistance due to its effect on cell wall composition
- There are also cases in which increased amount of calcium causes diseases
- Eg: increases blank shunt disease of tobacco caused by phytophthora parasitica
Effect of micronutrients
The application of certain micronutrients reduces the disease levels
Micronutrient Effect Causative organism
Iron Reduces verticillium wilts of mango Verticillium albo copper Reduces ergot disease
- Reduces stem melanosis in wheat • Claviceps purpurea
- Pseudomonas cichorii
Manganese • Reduces stem rot of pumpkin • Sclerotiana sclerotium
Molybdenum • Reduces late blight of potato • Phytophthora infestense
Silicon
- Reduce brown spot on rice • Cochlibolus miyabeanus
On the other hand severity of diseases are increased by certain nutrients
CONCLUSION
Each of the plant nutrients has a specific effect on plants. An alternation in the rate of nutrients may increase the susceptibility of the pathogen. On a basic level the sufferings of plant due to a nutrient stress will be less vigorous and more susceptible to various diseases. Plant nutrients may affect diseases susceptibility through physical or metabolic changes there by creating a suitable environment for disease development. Plants supplied with balanced nutrition with appropriate amounts are more capable of protecting themselves. In addition to the quantity of nutrients the soil ph, the forms of nutrients also plays an important role in diseases development. A balanced nutrition must include all necessary elements in appropriate amounts. The amount of nutrients and forms of nutrients must be selected adequately and it must help the crop plant to protect them from infection
References
- Agriose, G. (2005) Plant pathology.5th edition, Elsevier academic press, Amsterdam257-252
- Timothy M. Span and Arnold W .Schumann. The role of nutrients in diseases development with emphasis on citrus and huanglongbing (2009), https://swfrec.ifas.ufl.edu 122:169-171
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Effects Of Plant Nutrients In Disease Development.
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