It highlights that a plant needs minerals from the soil and complex compounds from the soil biology to be healthy. In this context, healthy means to have natural and almost complete resistance to diseases and insects. Those same minerals and compounds are also vital for human health.

Levels 1 and 2 of the Plant Health Pyramid focus mainly on mineral nutrition, which is relatively straightforward to manage using tools like sap analysis to identify and apply the needed nutrients. By contrast, Levels 3 and 4 highlight why fostering healthy soil biology is critical for resilient, nutrient-dense crops. Here, the focus shifts from simply adding minerals to supporting the microbial community that feeds and protects plants. In return, the microbes are fed with sugars by the plant.

In practice, Levels 3 and 4 move us from just growing plants to growing the living system that sustains them. For more on nurturing this symbiotic soil life, check out our introduction to Soil Biology.

Four levels of plant health

The plant health pyramid has of four levels. Each level requires a set of inputs to get certain outcomes and represents essential key processes for good plant health. Any shortcoming in the lower levels reduces the processes in the higher levels.

Unfortunately, most commercial growers and most crops are not even at level one of plant health care on the plant health pyramid – John Kempf

Even when commercially grown plants don’t reach level one, they can still grow and produce by relying on artificial chemicals. However, these worsen the problem over time by killing the microbiology in the soil and on the plant, and so diminish the processes in levels three and four. This increases the amounts of chemicals that need to be used and severely reduces the plant’s nutritional value to us. And that has serious health consequences for us.

Level 1. Complete photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the process in which the plant uses the blue and red rays from the sun to combine carbon dioxide from the air with water and minerals from the soil to make sugars. Photosynthesis requires magnesium, iron, manganese, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

It is complete when each of these are sufficiently available and there is enough water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide for the plant to make enough diverse sugars to grow itself and for exchange with the soil biology. The plant then becomes resistant to soil-borne fungi, increases its leaf size and leaf thickness, and can look quite different from what we are used to.

Level 2. Complete protein synthesis

The simple sugars from level one are then combined into more complex sugars and additional minerals into very large molecules through a process called protein synthesis. This process creates 10s of thousands different protein molecules needed for the plant’s own DNA and other functions that include protecting itself against insects and diseases. In addition to the above-mentioned minerals, protein synthesis requires a wide range of minerals in small amounts such as cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, selenium, zinc, manganese, copper and many more.

When complete protein synthesis is reached, plants become resistant to insects with a simple digestive system while they are larvae and to sap sucking species by disturbing their digestive systems.

Level 3. Increased lipid synthesis

Lipids are fats and oils that all plants produce for their own basic needs. When these needs are met, they cover their leaves with them, which can be seen as a glossy, waxy sheen on their surface. The lipids work as a shield against all the airborne bacterial and fungal pathogens. Again, many of the compounds or their components are made by beneficial microbes on the plant’s roots and leaves.

Level 4. Increased secondary metabolite synthesis

Further to those fats and oils, secondary metabolites refer to essential oils such as aromatic compounds, flavonoids, carotids and many more. These protect the plants from ultraviolet radiation and overgrazing and ward off diseases and insects by killing viruses, bacteria, and insects outright. Many of the compounds or their components are made by beneficial microbes on the plant’s roots and leaves and exchanged for the plant’s sugars. As a result, plants become resistant to beetles, nematodes, and viruses. Some compounds give plants their unique, individual taste, and many compounds are essential for human health.

Summary

The plant health pyramid is a practical guide to a very high level of plant health, highlighting the fundamental issues with our soils such as the lack of trace elements needed for a healthy soil biology. This is the strong foundation required for healthy soils and healthy plants. Building this foundation to foster the robust and diverse soil biology required at levels three and four, is the main focus of this website.

A large increase in soil biology and bigger plants may lead to the balance of minerals being disturbed. Some minerals will turn out to be in shortage relative to the other minerals, leading to the previous problems reappearing. This requires these minerals to be supplemented. By learning what our soil biology and our plants require, we can begin growing bigger and healthier plants that are more nutritious for us.

A summarised extract of John Kempf’s talk that includes many other observations and ideas is in Building Crop Immunity: Understanding the Plant Heath Pyramid.

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