Sulphur worries after wet winter

4 June 2001



Sulphur worries after wet winter

By Tom Allen-Stevens

SULPHUR deficiency in combinable crops is particularly widespread this year, with many crops of barley, oilseed rape and even wheat affected.

“The symptoms are younger leaves of plants looking pale, and crops not responding to nitrogen,” said Michael Young of crop consultants Farmacy.

Even without visible symptoms, sulphur deficiency can cause up to 20% yield loss and affects the quality of grain protein, he warns.

Many group one milling wheat crops have received a sulphur boost this year, but even group two growers have reportedly made extra applications.

The wet weather has been the main culprit this year – like nitrogen, sulphur is readily leached.

The element is mainly taken up by the root, so poor root growth in slumped soils has compounded the problem.

High prices have also caused growers to cut back on more expensive compound fertilisers which contain sulphur, such as Kemiras Doubletop.

Mr Young believes it is now too late to resolve any problem, but growers should be taking samples to see if action is needed next year.

“Identify the problem using tissue, grain or soil analysis. More than one sampling technique is probably the most effective approach,” he said.

But Agrovistas Neil Boughton believes there is still time to improve the sulphur content for those crops that have an imbalance.

He recommends growers to apply repeat doses of 5kg/ha of Bittersalz. Ammonium thiosulphate could be added to boost sulphur content.

“You can apply it any time up to grain watery ripe, but the earwash spray is a good timing,” said Mr Boughton.

Samples are tested to determine the nitrogen/sulphur balance. Many have been more than twice the usual ratio of 14:1.

Mr Boughton warns that magnesium levels have also been low in many of the samples tested.

Sulphur deficiency has become more commonplace in recent years due to the fall in industrial pollution leading to low levels occurring in soils.

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