Nutrient Booster & Disease Defender: Start the Season Strong with Ammonium Sulfate

Another soybean season is underway, and it's cultivation crunch time.  This begs the age-old debate: to fertilize your soybeans or not to fertilize your soybeans? To us, the answer is always emphatically yes.  

But not all fertilizers are created equal. Now, more than ever, growers should consider ammonium sulfate fertilizer to get the biggest bang from their beans.  

Ammonium sulfate confers the nutrition one-two punch your growing season needs. First, it supplies readily available nutrients that boost soybean nodulation and biological nitrogen fixation. Second, it provides resistance against soil-borne diseases, such as Phytophthora and Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), which have been known to cause severe yield losses in many parts of the United States.

And that's just the start. 

Ammonium sulfate can help satisfy key nutritional needs for a greater return.

Plant Early (with less worry)

Soybean planting continues to inch earlier and earlier in order to leverage higher yield potential. But cool, wet springs and heavy soils can be problematic. A soluble source of sulfur that can be immediately taken up by the crop, like that of ammonium sulfate, is therefore critical. Even fertile soils can benefit, given the slow rate of organic matter mineralization at cool temperatures.   

Promote Immediate Sulfate Uptake

Roots can only take up sulfate sulfur, whereas elemental sulfur will require oxidation, a lengthy process especially at low temperatures, before it can be made available to plants as a nutrient. Therefore, supplementing sulfate with a sulfur fertilizer, such as ammonium sulfate, can make a difference by providing immediate availability. 

Lock in Phosphorus and Micronutrients

Ammonium sulfate reduces nitrogen loss from volatilization, leaching and denitrification much more effectively than urea or nitrates. Its acidic reaction in the soil enhances the solubility of phosphorus and various essential micronutrients, such as boron, iron, manganese and zinc. Phosphorus plays a supporting role at many stages, from strengthening the root systems to ensure a healthy head start and guarding against diseases.

ROI Gamechanger

While fertilizer can tap into an already tight budget, ammonium sulfate fertilizer applied at the right times will pay off, even under today's economic pressures. Large on-farm field tests showed that applying ammonium sulfate according to a carefully-designed schedule can give a bump of up to 8-12 bushels per acre. Another participant recorded a projected ROI of around $60 to $70 per acre over two years.  

Early planting combined with about a 100-lb rate of ammonium sulfate, like Sulf-N® ammonium sulfate fertilizer, can give growers a competitive edge. So, they see healthier crops, higher yield and better ROI.  

Interested in giving your growing season the AdvanSix advantage? Contact your AdvanSix sales representative or visit soybeans.advansix.com