Plant diseases are a major limiting factor in agricultural production. Most growers use high amounts of chemicals to control plant diseases, unaware of the fact that mineral nutrition has an important role in disease control. In addition to the economical consequences, the use of pesticides raises environmental and food safety concerns. All essential plant nutrients influence the health of plants and their susceptibility to disease. Plants suffering a nutrient stress will be more susceptible to diseases, while adequate crop nutrition makes plants more tolerant of or resistant to disease.

   The resistance of plants to diseases is mainly related to genetics. However, the ability of the plant to express its genetic resistance to a particular disease is affected by mineral nutrition. Some nutrients have a greater impact on plant diseases than others. However, it should be noted that a particular nutrient may have opposite impacts on different diseases....