I have written posts
on Sulfur in the past, but the past year bears mentioning more than any time
date concerning Sulfur. we saw many fields that were low in sulfur this
spring. It was easy to spot fields needing sulfur even at 55 MPH.
At 55 MPH sulfur deficiency looks a lot like nitrogen deficiency. If you
stop and walk into the field, you will find interveinal chlorosis. Sulfur is found in all living
things and in plants, it is a key to photosynthesis. Sulfur is also
needed for the formation of some amino acids and in turn proteins. Sulfur is
one of the key nutrients for drought resistance.
As our air has become cleaner and easier to breathe, less
sulfur is deposited from the air for our crops to utilize. We have found that
when available sulfur gets down to less than 10 ppm, we are most likely going
to have sulfur issues. On one of our
larger clients, I have data as far back as 2007. Soil test levels have gone from an average of
24 ppm to an average of 6 ppm with no sulfur added. Sulfur is available in the
sulfate form. Sulfate is a negative ion,
so it is more mobile in the soil than positive ions.
Because of mobility, sulfur buildup is not necessary.
Sulfur fertilizers include, elemental sulfur, gypsum, ammonium sulfate, and
ammonium thiosulfate. Elemental sulfur
needs to be converted microbially to the sulfate form, so I recommend higher
rates of that material. A 200 bushel corn crop will take up 30 pounds per acre
of sulfur. 60 bushel soybeans will remove
20 pounds of sulfur. Recent research has
found response to sulfur in both corn and soybeans,
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