Are your crops lacking sulphur ?

Since the clean-up of industry in the UK, sulphur deposition has been declining over the past few decades and is now very low. 

97% of soil samples sent in to Lancrop for analysis have been deficient in sulphur over the past 6 years, meaning that there isn’t enough in the soil for the crops being grown on them. Sulphur is an essential nutrient when it comes to plant growth. The plant needs it to be able to utilise nitrogen efficiently therefore if there is a deficiency then growth is quickly affected, even if there is sufficient nitrogen available, as the plant can’t use it effectively without sulphur. 

Application timing is important when it comes to sulphur. Sulphur is very mobile in the soil and therefore easily leaches in the wrong conditions. Some growers add some of their sulphur in the autumn, particularly as manures, unfortunately after our increasingly wet winters this means that much of that applied sulphur has already leached and is no longer there to benefit your crops. Applying in the spring is a better option, but if you apply it all at once some is likely to leach away before the plant has taken it up. 

Little and often is the best way to apply sulphur

Yara trials have shown that applying sulphur ‘little and often’ has had positive effects on plant growth and yield in that critical set of spring applications. The easiest way to achieve this is to use a nitrate plus sulphate compound fertilizer that delivers both nutrients together and splitting the sulphur over at least two applications. 

Find more information on sulphur and advice on how to choose the right sulphur fertilizer.