Productivity improvement in Sugarcane by using Sulphur

Importance of Sulphur “S” in Sugarcane Nutrition

In Crop Nutrition Science, the first three important Major/Macro plant nutrients are;

1. Nitrogen,
2. Phosphorous,
3. Potash

Initially Sulphur was considered as the 6th important nutrient after Calcium(4th) and Magnesium(5th) in the Plant nutrient requirement index.

With the increase in use of high yielding varieties of cash crops, rising intensive cropping pattern, increase in cultivable area under irrigation, decreasing fertiliser use efficiency, deteriorating soil health, imbalanced use of fertilisers and unrestricted use of irrigation to crops in high water table regions to name few reasons had led to rapidly depleting the levels of Sulphur nutrient in the soil to a major extent.

The Sulphur deficiency is seen across all the geographies and Soils PAN India after the Green Revolutions in our Nation. This had made the crop nutrition scientists to reconsider the 6th important position of Sulphur and now Sulphur is being recognised as the 4th Major/Macro plant nutrient succeeding “N”, “P” & “K”.

Consequently, the New Equation for Macro Nutrients in Crop Nutrition is N + P + K + S.

Important Role of Sulphur in Sugarcane Nutrition:

1. Sulphur applied along with N, P, K exhibit Synergistic effect on Crop Productivity.
2. Enhanced fertiliser Use efficiency, ensuring availability of all the nutrients available in the soil to the crop including micronutrients.
3. Regulates the PH of the soil, improving soil health in saline soils.
4. Significantly improves Chlorophyll content of the plant leaves, consequently ensuring efficient photosynthesis, improves Starch, Sugars, Oils, Fats & Vitamins content of the crop.
5. Forms an integral 90% part of Essential Amino Acids in Plants viz; Cysteine, Cystine & Methionine, which are the Building Blocks of Plant Proteins.
6. Improves Sugar recovery in Sugarcane crushing.

 
Few of the bulk fertilisers & salts of micronutrients listed below provide Sulphur as a nutrient to the crop, but the amount of Sulphur provided by these fertilisers have its own limitations.

Fertilisers providing Sulphur as Nutrient to the crops;

1. Single Super Phosphate                                 11% Sulphur
2. Ammonium Phosphate Sulphate                  13% Sulphur
3. Ammonium Sulphate                                      20.5% Sulphur
4. Potassium Sulphate                                        17.5% Sulphur
5. Magnesium Sulphate                                      9.6% Sulphur
6. Zinc Sulphate                                                   10-15% Sulphur
7. Ferrous Sulphate                                            10.5% Sulphur
8. Manganese Sulphate                                     17% Sulphur
9. Copper Sulphate                                            12% Sulphur

In order to suffice the increasing demand of Sulphur in crop nutrition, the high analysis 90% granular Sulphur fertiliser, introduced 25 years before for the first time by ‘’Mahadhan’’ brand, called as BENSULF in the service of progressive farmers of our nation “INDIA”

With the improvement in Technology of production of Bensulf indigenously by Smartchem Technologies Ltd . in India a new version of Bensulf called ‘’FRT BENSULF’’ is launched on 21st August 2018.

What is FRT BENSULF?
FRT is Fast Release Technology Bensulf, comprising of 90% Elemental Sulphur & 10% Bentonite Clay as a binding & disintegrating agent for the fertiliser.

How it Works?
The Sulphur is assimilated by the crops in the form of Sulphate SO4-, therefore the elemental sulphur containing 90% Sulphur needs to get converted in to Sulphate form in soil near the crop root zone.

When FRT Bensulf comes in contact with soil moisture, the Bentonite Clay absorbs around 20 times moisture of its volume & thus helps the granular fertiliser called Bensulf Pastille to disintegrate, breaking in to smaller particle size less than 50 microns, which thereafter along with the available oxygen in the soil, with inherent fast oxidising technology, releases the sulphur with the help of beneficial bacteria like Thiobacillus & Acido bacillus in the form of Sulphates to the crop.

Sulphur Requirement for Sugarcane and its application time: Sugarcane crop requires 24 kg of sulfur per acre. This Sulphur requirement should be given in the form of “Mahadhan Bensulf Fast”.

 
Advantages of FRT BENSULF Application to Sugarcane crop

1. Highest Sulphur content (90 percent of granulated sulfur fertiliser )
2. Provides Short Term & Long-Term requirement of Sulphur to the crops during critical growth stages.
3. Almost no leaching losses due to unique pastille structure of the granules
4. Plays significant role in Soil reclamation, regulates the PH of soil from Saline to Acidic, thereby improving soil health & ensuring better fertiliser Use Efficiency (FUE).
5. Fast available of Sulfur for Sugarcane crop results on strong and robust growth of the Sugarcane crop.
6. Increases nutritional efficiency of Nitrogenous fertilisers
7. Due to improvement in Soil health (PH), phosphorus, iron and zinc is available to the sugarcane crop
8. Important role in improving soil texture which results in improving soil fertility and fertiliser use efficiency
9. Provides short-term and long-term sulfur requirement at important growth stage of Sugarcane crop
10. Increases disease resistance in Sugarcane crop
11. Increases Sugar content of Juice which leads to increase in sugar quality, resulting in improved quality of sugar and a significant increase in sugarcane yield by 14-15%.
12. Value for money to the farmers with the benefits of ease of application, effective even in low moisture conditions, 100% assimilation of the Sulphur ‘’S’’ nutrient during the life cycle of the Sugarcane crop.