Role of Soil Amendment with Micronutrients in Suppression of Certain Soilborne Plant Fungal Diseases: A Review

Abstract

Micronutrients might affect the resistance of plants to pathogens or disease tolerance. In addition, there are conflicting reports about the effect of micronutrients on plant diseases, and many features that impact this response are unclear. Soil is crucial for micronutrient storage such as Br, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe and Cl, which can reduce the severity of plant disease by increasing disease tolerance and resistance of plants to pathogens. In particular, micronutrients have significant effects on controlling soilborne plant fungal diseases. Micronutrients can reduce disease to a satisfactory level or at least to a level at which further control by other conventional organic biocides or traditional practices is cheap and more fruitful. This review article recaps the latest information concerning the effect of micronutrients, such as Br, Mn, Zn, Cu, Fe, Cl and Mo, on disease resistance and tolerance and their use in sustainable agriculture. Here, our main focus is the critical analysis of various factors responsible for the suppression of certain plant fungal diseases due to micronutrients. In addition, we have identified efforts to determine key areas where sincere research efforts are still needed to develop strategies for manipulating micronutrient application in such a way that it could be more efficiently utilised in managing soilborne plant fungal diseases.