Healthy plants resist diseases
Plants, like humans and animals, have an immune system that helps them resist pathogens. When plants have poorly balanced nutrition, their immunity is compromised, but with optimized nutrition, plants can attain immune resistance against diseases like Russeting, with no need for pesticides.
Mineral nutrition builds plant immunity
Everyone understands that some people’s immune systems function much better than others’. The difference comes down to how well our immune systems are supported by nutrition.
There is scientific evidence that this also holds true for plants. Plants build complex compounds through enzymes. Trace minerals are key ingredients in building enzymes. Without those minerals, enzyme pathways collapse, creating an abundance of simple compounds in the plant, like nitrates, ammonia, and reducing sugars. These simple compounds provide an ideal food source for diseases.
Diseases are nature’s demolition crew.
Diseases like Russeting do not occur at random–they are the cleanup crew to take out the garbage. Diseases are a means by which unhealthy plants are removed from an ecosystem. Diseases are promoted by incomplete compounds, like simple sugars. Healthy plants with balanced mineral nutrition process those ingredients into more complex compounds and are not hosts to disease.
There is no need to use pesticides on our crops. We can grow crops that are completely resistant to disease and insect pests using nutrition only. We know how to do it and we have the science to prove it.
“I’m really proud to say that we aren’t using pesticides anymore. I haven’t sprayed anything with the word ‘-cide’ in it since 2018.”
“Most blueberry growers are on a spray schedule for pest and disease issues, but we aren’t because we don’t need it.”
Plant Health Pyramid
To describe a plant’s journey to complete health, AEA’s founder John Kempf created the Plant Health Pyramid, which breaks down a plant’s journey to complete immunity into four levels. Each level corresponds to a distinct physiological process that occurs within the plant; each level produces immunity to a new group of pests or diseases; and there are distinct, actionable steps a grower can take to advance their plants to each level.
Mineral Nutrition
Fostering balanced nutrition is not an abstract concept: it is a distinct process that thoughtful growers can measure and manage.
At AEA, we measure the nutrition of a plant in real-time throughout the growing season using plant sap analysis. Based on the nutrient deficiencies and excesses revealed on that test, we apply corrective foliar sprays using our nutritional products.
When we balance nutrition in plants, we see diseases like Russeting cease cause problems.
Yields + Immunity
Contemporary agronomy has focused on balancing nutrition to produce the highest yields, with no consideration for plant immune function. At AEA, we optimize nutritional balance to produce exceptional yields while increasing plant immunity to disease and insect pressure. In practice, this means our targeted nutrient levels and ratios may be different from the desired values that are developed for yield alone.
See how AEA growers have controlled pests
“Most blueberry growers are on a spray schedule for pest and disease issues, but we aren’t because we don’t need it.”
