January 16, 2024

Basics of Sulfur Management

Chris Augustin – Director, Dickinson Research Extension Center 701-456-1103 Chris.augustin@ndsu.edu

Sulfur fertilizer seems to get more attention each year as the frequency of deficiencies have been increasing. Sulfur is tough to manage and research as the sulfur soil test isn’t very reliable. More information on sulfate soil testing is available at: https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/soils.del/pdfs/Limitations_of_Sulfate_2018.pdf. Small grain fields that are sandy and/or have less than 2% organic matter usually benefit from 10 lbs sulfate/ac. Canola grown in southwest North Dakota should have 20 lbs sulfate/ac applied regardless of the soil type or sulfur test. Sulfate forms of fertilizer tend to be the most reliable (i.e. ammonia sulfate) whereas elemental sulfur takes time to mineralize and become plant available. Elemental sulfur may not be rendered plant available to short season crops like canola or wheat when the sulfate demand is greatest. We are working on sulfate fertilizer research. Here are two videos that summarize what we observed last year. Note this is only the first year of a multi-year study so stay tuned for the entire story. Canola Sulfur 2023: https://youtu.be/A5IZVEEJdhg Spring Wheat Sulfur 2023: https://youtu.be/UE66zbq2BE0

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