Nebraska Joins International Collaboration To Map Global Crop Sulfur Use And Deficiencies

By Patricio Grassini

A deficiency in sulfur, an essential nutrient for plants, may be limiting crop yields in many regions around the world. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the University of Colorado, Boulder, the International Fertilizer Association and The Sulphur Institute are beginning a joint initiative to comprehensively communicate the extent and severity of the sulfur deficiency. The two-year project will compile global data on sulfur for major crop systems around the world – information that is key to inform public and private investments in agriculture.

Working with an extensive network of global partners, the team will help countries quantify and address sulfur deficiencies. That progress will help advance crop yields to meet the world’s growing food demand and reduce the negative environmental footprint associated with excessive fertilizer use in some regions.

This collaborative project “will provide essential information to improve crop production through better sulfur management and fertilizer recommendation,” said Patricio Grassini, professor of agronomy and horticulture at Nebraska and one of the project’s principal investigators. The project will ultimately benefit “a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers, researchers, policymakers and the private sector.”

“A high frequency of sulfur deficiency is expected nowadays due to several factors, including reduced atmospheric sulfur deposition, higher purity of fertilizers, higher crop yields with associated larger sulfur demand and loss of soil organic matter,” said Eve-Lyn Hinckley, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

That combination of factors “could result in a situation where the soil cannot meet the sulfur required by crops, requiring the addition of fertilizers containing this essential nutrient,” said Ron Olson, senior agronomist at The Sulphur Institute.