Abstract

Conventional chemical crop protection with pesticides is increasingly seen as being critical, because of pesticide residues in food and the environment. Integrated alternative management strategies such as crop rotations and soil management might also involve the targeted use of certain mineral fertilizers with benefits for plant health. A key element required for healthy crops is nitrogen, which is applied at differing dosages in various chemical forms, all with distinct effects on crop physiology and plant growth. Here, we review classical and more recent evidence for the crop disease-protective effects of nitrogen and various chemical nitrogen forms. We conclude that simple general statements concerning disease-protective roles in agricultural environments remain elusive, although complex plant-soil microbial interaction networks are becoming increasingly understood. The health of modern varieties might be substantially improved by certain chemical nitrogen fertilizer forms, particularly when the disease-causing fungal species are known.

摘要

由于食品和环境中残留农药，使用农药的传统化学作物保护越来越被认为至关重要。作物轮作和土壤管理等综合替代管理策略也可能涉及有针对性地使用某些有益于植物健康的矿物肥料。健康作物所需的关键元素是氮，它以不同剂量、不同化学形式施用，对作物生理和植物生长都有不同的影响。在这里，我们回顾了氮和各种化学氮形式对作物防病作用的经典和最新证据。我们的结论是，关于农业环境中疾病保护作用的简单一般性陈述仍然难以捉摸，尽管人们对复杂的植物-土壤微生物相互作用网络的了解越来越多。某些化学氮肥形式可能会大大改善现代品种的健康，特别是在已知致病真菌种类的情况下。