In both animals and plants, susceptibility to disease is the result of metabolic problems.
As we mentioned in last week’s newsletter, the overwhelming majority of chemical pesticides are nitrogenous and often chlorinated as well. The traditional balance between nitrogen and micronutrients may be upset in favor of soluble nitrogen because of this, creating a situation unfavorable for the plant’s resistance.
We know that chemical pesticides have clear “side effects” – including causing other major problems to surface, like the rapid development of pests or the development of diseases. For instance, the explosion of spider mites after an application traditionally was attributed to the pesticide reducing the mites’ natural predators, but we now understand that’s not the case.
It has been recognized that the relationship between plant and parasite is primarily nutritional in nature. The resistance of the plant to its different parasites depends on the balance between protein synthesis and protein breakdown. A predominance of protein breakdown increases the plant’s susceptibility. Conversely, predominance of protein synthesis increases the plant’s resistance or immunity.
For the same reason, chemical fertilizers may also cause deficiencies. These can have serious consequences for the plant’s metabolism. It’s the biochemical state of the plant that generally determines how susceptible it will be to insect and disease pressure.
Andaman Ag recognizes that our industry is more of an amalgamation of approaches than siloed ones. This means that conventional growers should incorporate or rotate applications that have less impact on the metabolism of the plant in an effort to mitigate the negative consequences. The good news: there are many products available that perform extremely well and complement the plant’s metabolism instead of inhibiting it. In both a conventional and organic scenario, these practices can produce noticeable results. Fundamentally, by incorporating products that are not chemically based, the plant enjoys more growing days as it’s metabolism remains churning and it’s much more likely to handle heat and other abiotic stresses throughout the growing season.
For example, we offer Thyme Guard, an excellent organic systemic fungicide; and Kyte Goldor Nem Guard Gold, a soil amendment with properties to help reduce nematode counts. We also believe that our innovative product, Sea-Crop, containing 89 elements plus many compound minerals in the form of fulvic acid acts asva catalytic trigger to get the plant’s metabolism moving in the right direction. Finally, we offer a number of complex microbial fertigation and foliar fertilizers from Ecotech LLC that, given their macro- and micronutrients and trace element composition, support protein synthesis in the plant.
Achieving well-balanced fertilization and stimulation of protein synthesis through the use of complex micronutrients and the application of crop protection products that complement a plant’s metabolism rather than damage it, will surely yield better results to all growers as well reducing the need, over time, to apply synthetic products for pest and disease control.