Role of nutrients in controlling the plant diseases in sustainable agriculture

Abstract

The importance of sustainable agriculture can be understood as an ecosystem approach toward the integrated agricultural management practices. It is capable of enhancing soil and environmental quality with conserving natural resources. Therefore, in recent years, it has become a component of the modern agricultural practices. However, at the same time, yield loss of field crops due to diseases is causing bottlenecks toward the sustainable agricultural production systems worldwide. The conventional method for disease management has caused degradation of environment, land resources, and water bodies, developed pesticide resistance in pathogens, and contaminated the food with toxins. These have evolved crave for the alternative disease management practices, which are economic, eco-friendly, and sustainable approach for farmers. To be precise, rate of development of diseases can be reduced by an adequate and balanced mineral nutrition in crops. The plant nutrients determine its resistance or susceptibility to disease, its histological or morphological structure or properties, and the ability of pathogens to survive on the host. The disease symptoms frequently reflect the altered nutritional status of the plant, and many factors that influence this response are not well understood. This article summarizes some of the most recent developments regarding the effect of macronutrients (e.g., N, P, K), secondary nutrients (e.g., Ca, Mg), and micronutrients (e.g., B, Mn, Zn, Fe, Cu, and Si) on disease resistance/tolerance and susceptibility and their use in sustainable agriculture.