Take action to help your crops reach 100% of their yield potential

• For years, various studies have confirmed the progressive depletion of sulphur levels in agricultural soils, significantly affecting their natural productivity and yield potential.
• To address this deficiency, it is increasingly necessary to provide an additional supply of sulphur to agricultural soils, preferably in the form of elemental sulphur.
• AFESOL and AGROSOLFO, composed of 90% and 99.9% elemental sulphur respectively, are a clear example of our firm commitment to developing fertilisers designed to increase the natural yield of your crops.

For several years now, agricultural activity has increasingly revealed a gradual decline in the soil’s ability to provide crops with the essential nutrients they need for germination, growth and optimal development.

Among the various factors that may explain this decline in the effective potential of agricultural soils to positively influence crop productivity, one of the most significant is the fact that agricultural soils throughout the European Union, and particularly in our region, are experiencing a considerable reduction in sulphur levels. This is the result of overexploitation and the lack of fertilisers containing this macronutrient, based on the assumption that it is already naturally present in the soil in sufficient concentrations.

It is therefore increasingly necessary to correct this progressive depletion of sulphur levels in agricultural soils by applying an additional supply of this essential macronutrient as a fertiliser, either in the form of elemental sulphur or sulphate.

When comparing these two alternatives, it is worth highlighting that the main advantage of elemental sulphur over sulphate sulphur lies in the slow conversion of sulphur into sulphate through the natural action of soil thiobacteria. This allows the nutrient to remain available to plants for longer and prevents it from being affected by leaching caused by rainfall or agricultural irrigation, as can occur with sulphates.

In this regard, elemental sulphur is precisely one of the most effective ways of supplying sulphates to agricultural soils. As it naturally and gradually transforms into this chemical compound, it actively contributes to enabling plants to absorb nutrients directly from the cultivated soil according to their needs, without these nutrients being subject to excessively rapid degradation due to environmental conditions.

This gradual supply of sulphates to the soil promotes the formation of essential amino acids for optimal crop growth, such as cysteine and methionine. These contribute to increasing chlorophyll levels in leaves and form part of the secondary metabolites that influence the smell and flavour of various plant species.

In addition, the application of elemental sulphur stands out for its ability to reduce soil alkalinity (or pH), balance electrical conductivity and increase microbial activity, thereby promoting the recovery of organic matter present in the cultivated soil.

Likewise, the application of elemental sulphur as a fertiliser allows plants to absorb it at levels equal to or greater than those of phosphorus, at rates ranging from 14 to 50 kg of sulphur per hectare, depending on the cultivated area, while also helping to unlock this macronutrient in agricultural soils.

And that is not all: when applied to agricultural soil, sulphur also plays an important additional role in restoring the soil’s natural capacity to improve crop yield, reducing the need to apply other essential macronutrients, particularly nitrogen.

According to Liebig’s Law of the Minimum, plant growth is limited by the essential nutrient present at the lowest concentration. Therefore, for every kilogram of sulphur deficiency in an agricultural crop, plants will fail to assimilate fifteen units of nitrogen.

Consequently, if the sulphur requirements of crops and agricultural soils are not properly addressed, it may be necessary to apply fifteen times more nitrogen, increasing the risk of adversely affecting soil quality.

Based on all these considerations, at AFEPASA we recommend relying on our more than 125 years of experience in the research, development and innovation of a wide range of sulphur formulations for agricultural use, and on everything our elemental sulphur-based solutions can contribute to naturally improving the yield and productivity of your crops.

On the one hand, AFESOL, an elemental sulphur solution particularly suitable for soils with high salinity and alkalinity, which can be applied using conventional fertilisation equipment.

It is a solid soil amendment made from 90% micronised elemental sulphur bonded with clay which, when it absorbs moisture, facilitates its effective incorporation into the soil.

The main advantage of AFESOL over similar products available on the market is that all the reactions occurring in the soil after application take place more rapidly. As a result, the agronomic effects and, consequently, the benefits for crops are more immediate and can be observed during the same growing season.

On the other hand, AGROSOLFO, composed almost entirely of elemental sulphur, with a purity of 99.9%, has also been sieved to minimise dust particles. This makes it an ideal solution for use as a soil amendment, facilitating application with fertiliser spreaders.

Furthermore, as it is an agricultural product based exclusively on components of natural, non-synthetic origin, it can also be used on crops certified under European organic or biodynamic farming standards.