I am not an expert in this area at all, but my background and experiences with plants can provide some insight. Basically it all depends on many factors.
1/ Very young plants can be susceptible due to their need to grow, and they do not devote energy to structures/chemicals that are defensive.
2/ Any aged plants if stressed by environmental conditions.
3/ Any aged plants if fed on by insects (+others) both creating a 'wound' or injecting a pathogen.
4/ Any damaged area can allow pathogens to invade and at any age.
5/ Older plants as they weaken are more susceptible.
Hopefully this gives at least a starting point for some discussion. There are more specific points that should be added, especially by those who study plant pathology.
It depends! What pathogen? What plant? I work with Phytophthora, so I know that it has powerful enzymes that can penetrate plant cell walls. However, plants can fight back by reinforcing walls with phenolic compounds and suberin, coating surfaces with waxes, and creating barrier tissues like bark. Therefore, the most susceptible stage is often the seedling stage, where all tissue is relatively young and susceptible, However, the root tips and shoot tips are always susceptible. Environment can affect maturation rate; nutrient deficiencies can also make tissue susceptible. Wounding can create access sites. Sometimes it depends on the amount of inoculum present. It's very complicated; I guess that's why I have a job.
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