Add sulfur

GYPSOIL brand gypsum adds sulfur to the soil and it provides highly available calcium that moves deep into the soil profile, a recognized advantage for no-tillers. 

Typical Analysis
Calcium Sulfate Dihydrate
(dry weight basis)
Calcium  17-20 %
Sulfur     13-16 %

Researchers in are reporting sulfur deficiency is on the rise.  A recent annual summary by the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) also suggests that soil tests with low sulfur results are becoming more common versus five ears ago. 

It used to be that soils got plenty of sulfur from the atmosphere. Electrical plants that burned coal released sulfur into the air and every time it rained, farmland was fertilized with free sulfur.  Also, some nitrogen fertilizers contained excess sulfur so fields got a dose of sulfur with those applications.  With the advent of flue gas desulfurization and greener, more targeted fertilizers, along with the fact that many of today’s crop genetics may have a higher sulfur requirement, sulfur deficiency may be more common.

Gypsum, used as a sulfur source, raises yields in a variety of crops including peanuts, corn, alfalfa, cotton, soybeans and others.

Studies at the Ohio State University have demonstrated a significant corn response to gypsum.  In one particular study, where gypsum supplied sulfur at a rate of 30 lbs/acre, corn yield was increased from 182 to 193 bushels/acre.

OSU researchers have also observed increases in alfalfa yield due to gypsum applications.  Cumulative 2000-2002 data from OSU shows an 18 percent increase in alfalfa tonnage in a gypsum-treated field vs. the control with no gypsum.

Earlier work reported in the Agronomy Journal has also shown positive yield impact from use of gypsum.