Auburn research looks at sulfur deficiency’s impact on corn yields
In Alabama, Auburn University reported that researchers with Auburn University’s College of Agriculture, Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station (AAES) and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System see that deficiencies in sulfur may be affecting corn yields.
“Sulfur is a nutrient that directly participates in essential amino acids, which, when lacking will affect some protein formation in the plant,” said Eros Francisco, assistant professor and extension grain crops specialist with the Department of Crop, Soil & Environmental Sciences and researcher with the AAES.
“With the advent of cleaner fuel regulations over the last decades due to the Clean Air Act, the deposition of sulfur has significantly decreased causing crops to start lacking sulfur and showing deficiency symptoms, such as light-green and pale-green younger leaves,” he said.
The objective of current research being conducted by Francisco and others is to better understand how the addition of sulfur impacts the corn yield nitrogen response. This multi-state project includes 23 locations in eight states, including Alabama.
“These results will help educate growers on how important sulfur nutrition is in corn and what adjustments need to be addressed in nitrogen rates to maximize yield and profitability.
“Not all the locations have shown corn yield response to sulfur applied. About 50 % have shown yield responses varying from 5 to 20 bushels per acre, depending on the nitrogen rate. The lower the nitrogen rate, the higher the sulfur impact on yield,” Francisco said.
Category: Food & Agriculture
