Agronomy Advice | How much is not spreading sulphur costing you ?

Many farming practices for good reason are rooted in tradition and when it comes to buying fertiliser, farmers continue to buy what they have always bought. But if not spreading sulphur on grassland is costing you over €100/ha should this practice continue ?

Sulphur containing fertiliser grades are too often dismissed as they command a small premium over the same grade without sulphur. However, the evidence is such that sulphur is now recommended by all the independent farm advisory bodies in the UK, including the AHDB in England, IBERS in Wales, and the SRUC in Scotland and AFBI in Northern Ireland.

We need sulphur applications now because in the past it came in sufficient quantities in our rain. Now, annually the rain provides less than 2kg S/ha.

Plain and simply sulphur helps nitrogen work better, and when nitrogen works better it improves grass growth rates but also the composition of the grass. For example, if we grow 1,000 kg more dry matter per ha just by using a fertiliser with sulphur, then this has had the effect of improving nitrogen use efficiency. There is an extra 20 kg of nitrogen removed in this 1,000 kg of dry matter which means there is less nitrate in the soil available for leaching which could potentially end up in our rivers. This is a win-win for the farmer and the environment.

Valuing the cost effectiveness of using sulphur this season

Yara commissioned the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Northern Ireland last year (2017) to look at the role of sulphur on grassland. AFBI carried out these field trials at two different sites in Northern Ireland.

The soils at Hillsborough and Loughgall were characterised as a clay loam and a sandy clay loam respectively.

The overall dry matter (DM) yield was achieved over 6 cuts. A total nitrogen rate of 204 kg/ha was used for each treatment, with the YaraBela Nutri Booster supplying a total of 16 kg S/ha of sulphur.

Sulphur applications resulted in an extra 750 kg DM/ha

At the Hillsborough trial site the treatment including sulphur yielded 11.3 tonnes compared to 10.9 tonnes dry matter per ha without sulphur

At the Loughgall trial site the treatment including sulphur yielded an extra 1.1 tonnes dry matter per ha

What is this extra 750 kg dry matter worth?

The cost of growing this extra 750kg of dry matter was €15 per ha, based on the value of YaraBela CAN and YaraBela Nutri Booster.

Comparing the value of the extra dry matter to feed wheat @ £138/tonne and Hi-Pro Soya @ £305/tonne, with a grazing utilisation of 85% then this 750 kg of DM is worth €113.

A very healthy €7 return for every €1 spent on sulphur.

Recommended Yara fertilisers for grassland

YaraMila SUPER BOOSTER

25-2.2-4.2 + 2%S + Na and Se - Compound prilled NPKS fertiliser with sodium selenate for use on grassland to supplement selenium levels.

YaraMila EXTRAGRASS

27-2.2-4.2 + 2.4% S - Compound granular NPKS fertiliser ideally suited to little and often application for Spring/Summer application to grassland for index maintenance and high recovery growth rates.

YaraMila SULPHUR SWARD

27-1.7-3.3 + 4% S - Compound NPKS fertiliser with a balanced ratio of nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulphur so is ideal for grazed swards to kick start the growing crop.

YaraMila ZERO P SWARD

26-0-5 + 4% S - An NK plus S fertiliser used where no phosphate is required and where some potash is required.

YaraMila ZERO P CUT

24-0-10 + 2% S - A compound fertiliser supplying nitrogen, potash and sulphur often used after first cut silage where no phosphate is required.

YaraMila SULPHUR CUT

22-1.7-11.6 + 3% S - A quality branded NPKS compound fertiliser with sulphur. This fertiliser is ideal for replacing the large amount of potash removed after silage whilst kick starting regeneration.

SUPER START

34% N + 7.6% Ca - A unique Yara product containing both Calcium Nitrate and Urea. SUPER START is well suited to cold wet spring conditions and is ideal for first application to grassland.

YaraBela NUTRI BOOSTER

25% N + 2% S, Na and Se - Unique compound fertiliser for use on grass, based on CAN offers farmers the option of applying nitrogen and sulphur coupled with sodium and selenium in the form of sodium selenate.

YaraBela AXAN

27% N + 3.6% S - Uniform compound granular nitrogen and sulphur fertiliser for use on all crops.

See all fertilisers choices

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