Elemental Sulphur: Doing More for Your Soil

The end game at every harvest is to achieve the highest yields and protein levels possible—that’s just the way it is. Making sure the crop is getting the nutrients it needs through the soil can be tricky due to a variety of factors, like environmental losses through leaching or even a deficiency misdiagnosis.

Sulphur (S) is an essential mineral nutrient that often ends up overshadowed by nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Of the crops commonly found in Western Canada, canola requires the largest amount of sulphur. Many producers are losing 10-40% of their potential canola yields in certain areas of their fields because they do not recognize mild to moderate sulphur deficiency symptoms. If sulphur levels are low enough to reduce canola yields, they are low enough to reduce the yield and quality of other crops in rotation.

Choosing a Sulphur Source
There are many sulphur fertilizer options on the market, some of which are very different from each other and must be managed in different ways. Ammonium sulphate is water soluble and leachable, meaning it can be lost in heavy rainfall. In some areas of Western Canada this season, rainfall has been abundant, and a leachable source of sulphur would prove to be more difficult to maintain in the soil. Elemental sulphur, on the other hand, provides a sustained release and is not lost through leaching. While elemental sulphur is slower to break down to a plant-available form, it is more available at maximum plant growth when compared to other forms of sulfate sulphur.

Next-Generation Sustainable Fertilizer
Bio-Sul Premium Plus is a recycled, sustainable nutrient source consisting of 70% elemental sulphur and 30% compost from GFL Ag. Bio-Sul is applied directly to the soil, so microorganisms can quickly and easily begin oxidizing the elemental sulphur within the product. Because Bio-Sul Premium Plus is made with compost, it is safer for you and a better choice for the environment. If you live somewhere where wet conditions are the norm, or you’ve got canola in your regular rotation, Bio-Sul could be the sulphur option that changes the game in your fields.

Choosing Bio-Sul as your go-to sulphur source can help you save money, spend less time applying with an easier application and handle your sulphur needs long-term so you can focus on your overall nutrient plan.

Kickstart microbial activity in your soils and provide the sulphur that is essential to your crops. Learn more about why elemental sulphur is a powerful (and more sustainable) nutrient source at gfl-ag.com.