Corn Production Response to Sulfur in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Recently, sulfur (S) deficiencies have been reported globally in crops associated with decreased S deposition due to air pollution control measures, increased crop yields and decreased agronomic S inputs. In the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., anecdotal evidence indicates that this is indeed the case. We conducted a field study over six site-years (2010 – 2011, three sites each year) on silty and sandy loam soils, to determine if corn responded to sulfur application. Five rates (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 kg ha-1) replicated 4 times were applied using three methods; pre-plant, sidedress, and split between pre-plant and sidedress in a complete randomized block design. Yield and tissue S concentration responses were measured. In addition, common soil S extractions were evaluated on the basis of their ability to predict S need.