Study supported by the Latvian Council of Science
Research started in 2009 on the effect of plant mineral nutrition on the dynamics of biomass growth in young plants, the chemical composition of tree biomass elements and its effect on fungal diseases, and on the study of the transmission mechanisms of pest pathogens showed that the vitality of woody plants depends on mineral nutrition, and thus also on pests and the ecology of their pathogens.
By combining the studies in 2009 (grants No. 09.1360, 09.1428 and 09.1431) and conducting further research on the basis of single plots, opportunities will be created for a deeper understanding of the regularities of woody plant nutrition, the chemical composition of biomass elements, woody plant resistance, the spread of pest diseases and the ecology of pest pathogens. The study, conducted in 2010, confirms the hypothesis.
The regularities found will make it possible to predict the spread of tree diseases and pests, the ecology of pests and pathogens, and develop recommendations for increasing the vitality and resistance of tree stands, as well as for the development of biological plant protection products.