Shifting Perspectives on Sulfur Nutrient Management

All crops need sulfur. Period. And as growers are reaching for higher and higher yields, the need for providing additional nutrition to the soil has evolved. This means considering sulfur as part of your fertility program…every year.

Sulfur nutrition is typically front-and-center when growing canola because it’s known to contribute significantly to yield, but when we deal with other crops in a typical western Canadian crop rotation like cereals and pulses, it’s often overlooked. By shifting perspectives on sulfur nutrition to proactively build sulfur levels with a yearly application, growers can maximize yield potential for every crop grown in their rotation.

 

The Importance of Yearly Sulfur Applications

Should I think about investing money early to apply sulfur on crops that don’t require it to build levels for my next canola crop? Why don’t I just invest in sulfur on the year I need it?

All crops need sulfur. We’re building levels to maintain maximum yield potential because current yields are surpassing nature’s ability to supply enough sulfur naturally. For farmers who aren’t actively supplementing sulfur on their small grains, those small grains act as a sulfur remover for any sulfur you have invested in the history of that field. For example, a wheat crop of 90 bushels will use about 23 pounds of sulfur and remove 10 pounds. If you’re not supplementing sulfur but hoping to set yourself up for having high sulfur availability when you come back to canola, that small grain is out there utilizing the existing sulfur depleting its future availability.

Even if soil levels reveal that most of your field is naturally sulfur sufficient, you’re likely to run into rolling topographies and textured soils that may cause problems. The effects of sulfur deficiency on cereals are very hard to determine, and a lot of the time you may not see it visually…but you will experience a decline in quality. Your yield might be maintained but protein decreases, and it’s difficult to pinpoint why when it all gets blended in the bin and specific areas with low protein levels can be missed.

 

The Right Sulfur Source

How does Smart Nutrition MAP+MST work for western Canadian farmers that are operating in multi-crop rotations?

Traditionally farmers have not supplied a sulfur source for small grains. By using Smart Nutrition MAP+MST, you’re going to get your phosphorus requirements for your small grains and you’re going to be supplementing some sulfur that may or may not be required—but you’re setting yourself up for other crops in your rotation that have a higher sulfur requirement. If you can get more sulfur into that crop rotation you may decrease the need for other sulfur sources as you switch over to a canola crop and eliminate the need to set up for the crop years in advance.

Knowing that when you apply Smart Nutrition MAP+MST you’re meeting that current crop’s need simplifies the whole operation. Smart Nutrition MAP+MST is applicable to every crop grown in Western Canada. The 9-43-0-16 formulation is a great balance for various crops. The P to S ratio was created with the grower in mind: simplifying nutrient management to suit all crops while maintaining seed safety.

For more information on Smart Nutrition MAP+MST for your farm contact your local rep or submit your question through Ask an Agronomist.