Grainews: Can well-fed plants fend off diseases and insects?

“I do not believe this for canola,” says Mario Tenuta, research chair in 4R Nutrient Stewardship at the University of Manitoba. He does believe it for other crops, giving two examples: wheat can lodge with excess nitrogen, and potatoes can have excess vine growth — two things that could, in theory, increase disease.

“I don’t believe this, except in the extreme, like where nitrogen levels become so high that they are toxic,” says Harding. “Studies I’m familiar with show that excess nitrogen is not advantageous or detrimental to yield. I do believe that excess nitrogen is a waste of money, so it will rob profit, but not yield. It is also possible that the lack of other nutrients may rob yield, but excess nitrogen will not.”

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