Sulphur and Sustainable Agriculture

Description

Paris: International Fertilizer Industry Association, 2010. - 74 pp.ISBN 978-2-9523139-6-4This publication has brought together the many aspects of sulphur in agricultural systems. It is important to do this at this time as intensification of food, fibre and animal production is escalating to feed the ever increasing world population. The move from sulphur-containing single superphosphate and ammonium sulphate to high-analysis fertilizers such as diammonium phosphate (DAP) and monoammonium phosphate (MAP), which contain little sulphur (S), has lead to increasing deficiencies of S which must be overcome.C o n t e n t s.About the book and the author.Acknowledgements.Symbols, acronyms and abbreviations.Sulphur in agriculture: setting the scene.Introduction.The global sulphur cycle.Importance of sulphur in agriculture.Boundary conditions.Farming systems: sulphur cycling and balance.Forms of sulphur.Management of inputs and losses.Nutrient balances and sustainability.Soil sulphur.General description.Sulphur fractions.The carbon cycle and balanced nutrition.Sulphur mineralization and fixation.Sulphur in plants.Needs and deficiencies.Uptake processes and metabolism.Plant sulphur and product quality.Sulphur deficiency detection and correction.Plant testing.Soil testing.Sulphur in animal production.Sulphur metabolism in ruminants.Body sulphur content and turnover in sheep.Wool production.Sulphur metabolism in monogastrics.Animal production systems.Fertilizers and ruminant diet quality.Protected protein in ruminant diets.Sulphur in excreta.Sulphur interactions and processes.General.Glucosinolates and cyanogenic glycosides.Micronutrient interactions in ruminants and man.Sulphur sources.Application.Sulphur fertilizers.Predicting the release of sulphate from fertilizers.Effect of placement and form on plant uptake and residual value.Organic sulphur sources.Concluding remarks.References and further reading.References.Further reading.Appendix. Advantages and disadvantages of various sulphur-containing fertilizers.Appendix. Plates.