Plant Mineral Nutrition: Enhancing Plant Resilience

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 1061

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Departamento de Agronomía, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Bogotá 111321, Colombia
Interests: agronomic; horticultural crops; developing management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant nutrition encompasses the processes by which plants absorb and utilize nutrients that are essential for reproduction, growth, survival, and self-repair. As autotrophic organisms, plants synthesize their own food through photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to do so. They absorb essential elements from the soil in ionic form, which are classified as either macronutrients (required in larger quantities) or micronutrients (required in smaller quantities). The future of plant nutrition is a critical area of focus, as global challenges such as climate change, soil degradation, environmental impacts, and population growth intensify the need for more efficient and sustainable practices in this field. Consequently, researchers are exploring innovative strategies for plant nutrition beyond the traditional methods, with an emphasis on enhancing nutrient-use efficiency, improving plant resistance to pollutants, managing soil to optimize nutrient availability, preventing losses such as leaching and runoff, and ensuring food security. Plant resilience refers to a plant’s capacity to withstand and adapt to environmental stressors, including drought, pests, and climate change, while maintaining essential functions and structure. This resilience is achieved through a combination of inherent genetic traits and external factors such as plant nutrition. In this context, plant nutrition is crucial for plant resilience, as a balanced supply of macro- and micronutrients strengthens plants against environmental stress. Key nutrients can improve water-use efficiency and cell wall stability, while others support stress response mechanisms and tissue repair. Plant nutrition also involves a holistic approach that incorporates healthy soil microbiomes that enhance nutrient absorption and stress tolerance. Therefore, plant nutrition is vital for ensuring food security and adapting to a changing climate.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Hermann Restrepo-Díaz
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • plant resilience
  • pest
  • microbiomes
  • nutrient use efficiency
  • soil health
  • plant physiology
  • plant stress

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 4652 KB  
Article
Soil and Foliar Applications of Silicon Mitigate Biotic Stress in Cape Gooseberry Plants Caused by Fusarium Vascular Wilt
by David Sebastián Chitiva-Sánchez, Ana María Pérez-Rincón, Cristhian Camilo Chávez-Arias, Hermann Restrepo-Díaz and Sandra Gómez-Caro
Biology 2026, 15(7), 536; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology15070536 - 27 Mar 2026
Viewed by 788
Abstract
Vascular wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. physali (Foph) severely limits cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) production in Andean regions, where management options are restricted and largely dependent on fungicides. Silicon (Si) has been proposed as a sustainable strategy to enhance [...] Read more.
Vascular wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. physali (Foph) severely limits cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) production in Andean regions, where management options are restricted and largely dependent on fungicides. Silicon (Si) has been proposed as a sustainable strategy to enhance tolerance to vascular pathogens; however, its role in the cape gooseberry–Foph pathosystem remains unknown. This study evaluated the effects of soil and foliar Si applications on disease development and physiological responses in cape gooseberry plants under greenhouse conditions. Three soil doses and three foliar doses were tested, including inoculated and non-inoculated controls without treatment. Si significantly reduced disease progression, decreasing the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) and disease severity index, with efficacy values of up to 69% in inoculated plants, particularly at 8 g kg−1 soil application. Si also reduced vascular browning and mitigated pathogen-induced physiological impairment by maintaining higher stomatal conductance, relative chlorophyll content, maximum quantum efficiency of photosystem II, and plant growth. These findings indicate that Si, especially when soil-applied, enhances physiological tolerance to Foph and represents a promising complementary tool for its integrated management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Mineral Nutrition: Enhancing Plant Resilience)
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