From: Jose Luiz M Garcia What is used to attract insects when you want to trap them ? Exactly. Hydrolized protein. What is hydrolized protein ? Thatīs another name for amino acids. I agree that Brix as a measure of soluble solids and specially long chain sugars ( as small chain sugars will also attract insects) is an indication of high quality but not amino acids. Protein is a measure of quality. Insects will be attracted by amino acids. Do a small experiment. Use a protein sorce and then hydrolize it and see the difference. Nutrient deficient plants ( specially those deficient in micronutrients) are known to be attacked by insects. What is the role of micronutrients in the plants , like Zn, Cu, B, Mo. Co, Fe, Mn, etc ? They are enzyme co-factors for several protein synthesis reactions. No minerals, no protein synthesis which leads to insect attack. Thanks for a good post Jose - Do you think its safe to assume that if we have really nice tasting sweet produce that shows high brix that the other quality factors will be at high levels too ?? I guess to reverse that question - how likely is it that great tasting high brix fruit and vegies will suffer from poor levels of vitamins, minerals and enzymes?? I think not very likely - but I dont know! Cheers Lloyd Charles ps. I am a bit addicted to my refractometer, and puzzled that such a simple easy to use tool is not put to much more effective use (including by many on this list) To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: compost_tea-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ .