Significant Conclusions from Polysulphate Fertilizer Trials

While for many Indian farmers May-June is a busy period on farms, it is also a highly productive time for ICL’s agronomists in India, with a large number of field experiments underway.

Trial Statistics

ICL’s Indian agronomy team had more than 100 ongoing field trials in 2021, with more than 20 crops, and in multiple important locations across India. According to ICL’s Agronomy Lead in India, Dr Sanjay, the fertilizer trial work is an important part of the agronomy team’s responsibility.

“For our agronomists, as well as handling customer queries and giving seasonal advice to farmers they are also busy setting up and following field trials with customers, farmers, and trial stations”, he explains. “The trial experiments are an essential part of the product development, demonstration, and promotion.”

Highly Significant Trials Underway

With so many trials in progress it is impossible to describe them all. However, to Dr Sanjay, there are a couple that need special mention.

Assessing the impact on Nitrogen Use Efficiency of balanced crop nutrition with Polysulphate in India.

There is an Indian multi-location set of trials assessing the impact of balanced crop nutrition with Polysulphate, on Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE). It is well known that balanced crop nutrition can significantly improve NUE, and hence reduce N losses into the environment. The trial is being run in collaboration with local agronomical institutions, both government and private, in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile from Karnataka there is an example of a new product trial. Under test is a compost enriched with Polysulphate Standard. “With this product the farmer can give in one application both organic matter and potassium instead of two applications, compost then potassium”, explains Sanjay. The aim is to supply all round soil improver in one step to the benefit of the soil and to tuber crops.

Collating the Results

As each trial in our extensive experimental program comes to its conclusion, the results are collated with those of the hundreds of previous trials of different crops, in different regions and growing in different conditions. This body of work clearly signposts the benefits of including Polysulphate into the fertilization strategy for greater crop productivity, and better food quality, in different farming systems and agroecological conditions around the world.