Arable crops

The majority of UK arable soils are deficient in sulphur which means that it needs to be part of the fertiliser strategy. With little to no deposition from the atmosphere we rely on inputs, whether that’s a mixture of organic manures and mineral fertiliser or solely mineral. With many buying straight nitrogen products, sulphur might need managing differently and you need to be aware of the differences.

The source of sulphur applied makes a big difference. Elemental sulphur has to undergo an oxidation process before it becomes plant-available, this is weather-dependent and could take up to 6 weeks in the spring. Sulphur in the sulphate form is plant-available and therefore the crop can utilise it quickly and efficiently.

Sulphur also increases nitrogen use efficiency, for plants to utilise nitrogen correctly sufficient sulphur levels are required, this is due to the close relationship between the two nutrients. When applying sulphur it should go on little and often, the same way you would apply your nitrogen, because it has the same leachability characteristics in the soil. The addition of sulphur applied in this way typically increases the yield by an average of 0.50-0.85t/ha for oilseed and wheat.

Quality of the product is also a key factor for buying decisions. Does it spread the required distance evenly to give a good spread pattern? Fertiliser is a big investment therefore buying a product that has a good CV, hard granules/prills (no dust), uniform size and shape (no segregation), all nutrients in one granule/prill (even nutrition in the field) and low emissions means an overall reliable return on investment.

YaraBela Axan (27%N 9% SO3) is a high quality NS compound which delivers these attributes and more. It is ideal for a multitude of crops when applied throughout the growing season, reducing the requirement of straight nitrogen, for a more efficiently grown crop.