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SuperCal SO4- The More Sulfur Fertilizer
Sulfur (S) is an essential nutrient needed to achieve high yields. It has been overlooked in the past since sulfur was naturally supplied through the use of high-sulfur nitrogen fertilizers, and the burning of fossill fuels and coal.
Since the 1970’s, new laws have decreased sulfur emissions more than 28%, while corn yields have increased 40%.
Clean air laws have reduced the amount of sulfur deposited.
For more on Sulfur Crop Removal Rates: Visit our Sulfur Calculator
Recent studies by Iowa State has shown that corn yields respond to sulfur. An increase in yield occurred 82% of the time. Over half the states in the US have reported sulfur deficient soils.
Why SuperCal SO4 Gypsum for Sulfur Fertilization?
Gypsum is the earliest known sulfur fertilizer and was applied to pastures in Switzerland as far back as 1768. The practice quickly spread to Europe and America, but was replaced by widespread use of sulfur-containing superphosphate and ammonium sulfate.
Sulfur deficiencies have returned in recent decades with:
· Adoption of low-sulfur fertilizer after World War II
· Switch from high-sulfur to low-sulfur coal
· Use of smoke stack scrubbers in industrial furnaces & power plants
· Reduced sulfur content in diesel fuel
About 90% of available sulfur is tied up in organic matter. Other fractions are leached into the subsoil. Fertilizing with pelletized gypsum (SuperCal SO4) reduces any sulfur deficiencies because:
· It contains about 17% sulfur
· Gypsum releases free sulfate that is absorbed by plant roots
· It dissolves unless soil sulfate is more than 700 lbs/A of S
The Importance of Sulfur
Sulfur is a structural component of amino acids, proteins, vitamins and enzymes, and is essential to produce chlorophyll. Without these amino acids, proteins cannot be built and plants will not grow It imparts flavor to many vegetables. Visual deficiencies can be recognized as light green leaves. Sulfur is readily lost by leaching from soils and through anaerobic volatilization. It should be applied with a nutrient formula.
Sulfur deficiency disrupts the growth processes of:
· Photosynthesis (due to lack of chlorophyll)
· Nitrogen fixation in legumes like soybeans & alfalfa
· Conversion of nitrate into ammonium and protein
· Formation of storage proteins in developing seeds
· Nitrate toxicity is aggravated by low soil sulfur
Sulfur deficiency usually causes yellowing of younger leaves as well as stunted growth and delayed maturity. Yellow color in new growth is even greater with sulfur deficiency than nitrogen deficiency because both are needed to make green chlorophyll. However, nitrogen is more mobile. The best way to test for sulfur deficiency is a laboratory analysis of young leaves.
Sulfur is not very mobile within the plant:
· Roots take up sulfur as sulfate (SO42-)
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Kip Kullers Sulfur Tips:
Greatest soil sulfur loss is when potassium and sodium are high.
Stunted plants and uneven crop emergence can be caused by sulfur deficiency.
Note: These tips are taken from a presentation by Kip Kullers on high yield soybeans, and is not an endorsement for SuperCal SO4 or Calcium Products. |
· Sulfate moves with water to the leaves
· Sulfate is built into organic compounds
· These organic compounds move anywhere proteins are being made
· Sulfur is locked up once proteins are made
Sulfur is as Important as Nitrogen
Most growers are concerned about applying enough nitrogen to non-legume crops, but do not realize that sulfur is key to nitrogen use. An adequate supply of sulfur is needed in order for plants to use nitrogen. Because both nitrogen and sulfur are building blocks in protein, a deficiency of either results in shortages of:
· Chlorophyll, the substance which converts sunlight to usable energy
· Rubisco, the enzyme which changes carbon dioxide into sugar
· Nitrate reductase, the material which converts plant nitrate into ammonium
Legumes accumulate equal amounts of sulfur and phosphorus, while cereals absorb 1.3% less sulfur than phosphorus.
Other nutrients directly affected by sulfur levels: Zinc (Zn), Selenium (Se), Calcium (Ca), Copper (Cu), and Molybdenum (Mo). Keep your soil and plant sulfur levels up for proper uptake & utilization of these other nutrients!
Sulfur Mineralization - Unlocking Sulfur from Residue
When plant residues are returned to the soil, they are digested by microorganisms, and release some of the sulfur as sulfate (SO42-). However, most of the sulfur remains in the organic form and eventually becomes part of the soil humus. Fresh organic residues decompose relatively rapidly in soil, but release of sulfur from humus is limited and slow. Mineralization of sulfur depends on the sulfur content of the decomposing material in much the same way that nitrogen mineralization depends on the nitrogen content.
Poor organic matter (OM), soil humus, and microbial activity (i.e. low or high pH) will decrease the amount of sulfur available to plants.
Sulfur in soil converts back and forth from inorganic to organic forms due to the presence of microbes. Immobilized sulfur is bound in soil humus, microbial cells, and in byproducts of microbial synthesis. Sulfur reactions in the soil are very similar to those of nitrogen, which are dominated by the organic or microbial fraction in the soil. There are similarities between nitrogen and sulfur cycles in that both have gaseous components and their occurrence in soils is associated with organic matter.
Crops grown on coarse-textured soils are generally more susceptible to sulfur deficiency, due to low organic matter contents and susceptibility to leaching.
Crops grown on soils that have < 1.2-1.5 % organic matter often require sulfur fertilization.
Sulfur soil tests generally have not been successful in predicting sulfur fertilization requirements for crops.
Elemental Sulfur (90%) – Please wait 1 to 3 years for plant availability
Elemental Sulfur (S 2-) products require a period of exposure on the soil surface to absorb moisture and freeze-thaw cycles, which causes the pellets/granules to disperse the sulfur. Finely divided sulfur should then be worked into the top few inches of soil as far ahead of planting as possible. The dispersion process prior to soil incorporation is essential for satisfactory conversion of elemental sulfur. An increase in temperature increases the elemental sulfur oxidation rate in the soil (the ideal temperature will be between 58-113oF).
Elemental sulfur can only be available to plants after a long breakdown period.
Elemental sulfur requires an initial phase of microbiological oxidation to produce sulfuric acid, which then produces gypsum. Microorganisms responsible for elemental sulfur oxidation require most of the same nutrients needed by plants plus a few others. Elemental sulfur oxidizing bacteria are mostly aerobic, and their activity will decline if oxygen is lacking due to saturated soils.
It takes 5# of calcium to make 1# of elemental sulfur plant available.
Breakdown of elemental sulfur is a slow process under ideal conditions.
SuperCal SO4 – The best choice for sulfur
Gypsum, which is calcium sulfate, occurs naturally in several forms. Anhydrite gypsum is CaSO4-H2O, dihydrite gypsum is CaSO4-2(H2O), or there can be a combination of both. The best form of gypsum for the soil is dihydrite gypsum because it is more soluble. SuperCal SO4 is dihydrite gypsum that is 95% pure. SuperCal SO4 contains 17% sulfate form sulfur, that is available to plants immediately.
Other Sources
There are other forms of sulfate sulfur available. However many create more acidity in the soil. For every 1 pound of Ammonium Sulfate (21-0-0-24S) applied, your customer will need to apply up to 15 pounds of lime to correct the change in acidity. Ammonium Sulfate and Ammonium Thiosulfate (12-0-0-26S) have high salt indexes that can cause plant injury and decrease soil quality.
SuperCal SO4 has the following attributes:
- pH neutral (6.7)
- Low salt index
- Effective at decreasing aluminium toxicity by formation of (AlSO4)+ complex
- Provides solutes that maintain soil structure (decreases crusting)
- Coapplication with lime provides solutes to prevent wind erosion caused by lime
- Provides calcium to improve the stability and concentration of soil organic matter
SuperCal SO4 – The More Plant Friendly Sulfur Product
In the list of over 30 favorable reasons for using gypsum on agricultural land, one item suggested that gypsum could result in decreased pH of the photosphere near the active roots. The mechanism for this effect is that many plants take up calcium quite readily, but take up sulfate much more slowly. Since the differential uptake of calcium and sulfate results in a buildup of hydrogen ions, the pH adjacent to the roots will decrease. The advantage of SuperCal SO4 is that in high pH soils, uptake of the micronutrients iron, zinc, manganese, and copper can be increased.
The use of SuperCal SO4 alone will not reduce your pH, but it will create a friendlier environment for your plants.
SuperCal SO4 pelletized gypsum offers these benefits to
corn and soybean growers:
· Improves plant health and productivity
· Is an excellent source of readily available calcium and sulfate for the plant at all soil pH levels
· The sulfate sulfur improves nitrogen utilization and fixation by legumes like soybeans & alfalfa
· Helps manage micronutrient deficiencies such as iron chlorosis in soybeans
· Improves soil structure, aeration, drainage, and root development of plants in conventional and especially no-till soils
· Reduces soil surface crusting and improves seedling emergence
· Will reduce the soil pH of sodic soils and help create the optimum calcium/magnesium ratio (4:1) in your soil
· Helps fight diseases caused by fungi, such as white mold
SuperCal SO4 pelletized gypsum can be:
· Applied in the fall to provide the greatest impact on soil structure
· Spring broadcast to enhance early calcium and sulfur availability
· Placed in zones with N, P, & K to improve drainage and calcium availability
· Easily blended and spread with other dry fertilizer products
· Applied at moderate rates (200-300 lbs/A) and still achieve significant yield responses
· Mixed with seed or placed over young plants, without concern for germination or plant vigor, due to its low salt index (5)
Pastures and Livestock
Sulfur is used to build proteins, amino acids and enzymes. Forages grown with adequate sulfur will have a higher protein content and lower nitrate content.
Fertilizing your pasture with SuperCal SO4 has many positive effects on the quantity and quality of the grass. This leads to higher feed intake, improved gains and higher stocking rates. 
Increasing the sulfur content of your forages will result in increased meat, wool and milk production. The higher production is due to increased dry matter, and cellulose digestibility, increased feed intake and improved nitrogen balance.
Dairy cattle performance can be improved as well. Improvements include a higher production of milk solids, milk fat, and milk protein and milk casein. The higher casein content increases cheese yields.
Under conditions of a sulfur deficiency, increased sulfur of beef cattle rations not only improved average daily weight gain, but also decreased feed costs per pound of gain and increased the carcass grading.
Don’t let sulfur limit your production, add SuperCal SO4 to your fertility program.
SuperCal SO4 helps hold nitrogen in manure
SuperCal SO4 works to stabilize nitrogen by converting ammonia to ammonium sulfate, a highly stable nitrogen fertilizers. It also make calcium hydroxide, self liming and making a more pH neutral manure.
How it works
NH3 + (CaSO4- 2(H2O)) = Ca(OH)2 + NH4(SO4)2
NH3 + (CaSO4- 2(H2O)) = Ca(OH)2 + NH4(SO4)2
Ammonia - NH3 from manure reacts with SuperCal SO4 to produce a Calcium Hydroxide - Ca(OH)2 and Ammonium Sulfate - NH4(SO4)2.
