DlO—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 11,1984
Test plots gauge sulfur need
LANCASTER Putting out test
plots may be the most practical
way for farmers to assess local
need for sulfur-containing fer
tilizers.
While soil and plant-tissue tests
are also recommended, field
testing under local conditions often
provides the best indication of
whether or not it is cost-effective to
include sulfur in fertilizer
programs, says Tom Hemphill,
agronomist for Allied Corporation. “Crops tend to stay greener and
Test plots, he says, also help the plants mature earlier,” he
farmers determine the optimum adds. “In many cases, you can see
rate, time and method of ap- the difference in test plots form the
plication, and type of sulfur fer- Bide of the road.”
tilizertouse. f But visual differences between
Sulfur deficiency is most com
mon on well-drained, sandy soils
that are low in organic matter. In
recent however, ap
plications of sulfur have paid off
when used on silts and clays
especially in fields that are farmed
intensively, Hemphill says.
For this reason, he advises
Convention speaker listed
EPHRATA George Herman,
CBS TV news correspondent for
over 20 years, will be the banquet
speaker at Penn Ag Industries
Association’s 1984 Convention on
Sept. 25 at the Host Corral in
Lancaster.
His journalism experience spans
the era from the Japanese
surrender to the Allies to the
Watergate scandal. He served
abroad as CBS string
correspondent in Asia from 1949 to
1953. During that time he covered
the Vietminh attacks on the
French in Hanoi, the Communist
uprising in Malaya, and he
reported on the chain of events of
the Korean War from the landing
at Inchon to the truce-signing and
prisoner exchanges.
He is best known for his
moderating the CBS Sunday
morning news feature, “Face the
Nation." Also to his credit are his
more than 20 years as White House
correspondent. Reporting on the
Army-McCarthy hearings, the
American space race to challenge
Russia’s Sputnik project, and the
inauguration and subsequent
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JAMES E. NOLL GRAIN
farmers to work with their fer
tilizer dealer and conduct field
tests, on a variety of local soil
types. Adjusting time, rate and
method of application also could
provide valuable information.
“Results of one year’s testing
won’t tell the whole story,” says
Hemphill. “But today, crop
responses to applied sulfur are
often quite dramatic.
test plots do not determine a
farmer’s bottom line, Hemphill
adds. The real test comes after
harvest when the crop is weighed.
The crop’s protein content,
moisture content and overall
quality should also be evaluated,
as sulfur can enhance these
properties.
assassination of John F. Kennedy
are a few of his major journalistic
activities. He will be discussing
economic issues related to the 1984
Presidential campaign.
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ter mem r-rrn
Observing livestock response to
sulfur-fertilized forage crops also
may be worthwhile. Like crops,
livestock need ample doses of
sulfur in their diet to meet ex
pected levels of production.
“One of the best ways to make
sure livestock are getting enough
sulfur is to fertilize forage crops
with a sulfur-containing fer
tilizer,” says Hemphill. “Sulfur
treated forage crops, when fed to
livestock, often increase
production among ruminants. This
has been particularly evident with
dairy cows, beef cattle, lambs and
sheep.”
Farmers should also evaluate
sulfur’s effect on applied nitrogen.
In order to make efficient use of
nitrogen fertilizer, crops need to
contain one unit of sulfur for every
10-12 units of nitrogen. A sulfur
deficiency can therefore limit crop
response to nitrogen fertilizer.
“A sulfur shortage can inhibit
crop performance long before
visual symptoms appear on the
leaves,” Hemphill warns.
To keep N;S rations in line, he
recommends using a narrower
ratio of applied nitrogen and
sulfur. One pound for every five to
10 pounds of nitrogen is generally
recommended.
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