SULFUR: THE FACTS
Crop plants need at least seventeen elements for normal growth. Three of these elements come from air and water and the other fourteen come from the soil. Of the fourteen essential elements obtained from the soil, six are used in relatively large quantities and are thus referred to as macronutrients. They are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. Crop plants utilize large amounts of these elements and most fertilizer programs are designed to supply them in adequate amounts.
Sulfur has long been recognized as essential for plant and animal growth. Although much is yet to be learned about the functions of this element, it is known to be indispensable for many reactions in every living cell. Sulfur is a constituent of the amino acids methionine and cystine, deficiencies of which result in serious human malnutrition. The vitamins biotin and thiamine contain sulfur, and the structure of proteins is determined to a considerable extent by sulfur groups. As with the other essential elements, sulfur plays a unique role in plant and animal metabolism. Many crop plants contain as much sulfur as phosphorus, and it ranks in importance with nitrogen and phosphorus in the formation of protein. In short, sulfur is an element without which plant and animal life, as we know it would soon cease. FULL ARTICLE