While farmers have used gypsum (calcium
sulfate dihydrate) for centuries, it has received renewed attention in recent
years. This resurgence is due in large part to ongoing research and practical
insights from leading experts that highlight the many benefits of gypsum.
The latest information on gypsum has
been covered in detail at past Midwest Soil Improvement Symposiums. The event —
which has been held in conjunction with The Ohio State University’s
Conservation Tillage and Technology Conference — typically includes
presentations from industry representatives, scientists, consultants, and
growers on the use of gypsum to improve soil structure, reduce nutrient runoff,
and more.
Here are five key (and overlapping)
benefits of gypsum highlighted at past symposiums:
1. Source of calcium and sulfur for plant
nutrition
“Plants are becoming more deficient for
sulfur and the soil is not supplying enough of it,” said Warren Dick, soil
scientist and Professor Emeritus, School of Environment and Natural Resources,
The Ohio State University. “Gypsum is an excellent source of sulfur for plant
nutrition and improving crop yield.”
Meanwhile, calcium is essential for
most nutrients to be absorbed by plants roots. “Without adequate calcium,
uptake mechanisms would fail,” Dick said. “Calcium helps stimulate root
growth.”
2. Improves acid soils and treats aluminum
toxicity
One of gypsum’s main advantages is its
ability to reduce aluminum toxicity, which often accompanies soil acidity,
particularly in subsoils. Gypsum can improve some acid soils even beyond what
lime can do for them, which makes it possible to have deeper rooting with
resulting benefits to the crops, Dick said. “Surface-applied gypsum leaches down
to the subsoil and results in increased root growth,” he said.
3. Improves soil structure
Flocculation, or aggregation, is needed
to give favorable soil structure for root growth and air and water movement,
said Jerry Bigham, Professor Emeritus, School of Environment and Natural
Resources, The Ohio State University. “Clay dispersion and collapse of
structure at the soil-air interface is a major contributor to crust formation,”
he said. “Gypsum has been used for many years to improve aggregation and inhibit
or overcome dispersion in sodic soils.”
Soluble calcium enhances soil
aggregation and porosity to improve water infiltration (see below). “It’s
important to manage the calcium status of the soil,” he said. “I would argue
it’s every bit as important as managing NPK.”
In soils having unfavorable
calcium-magnesium ratios, gypsum can create a more favorable ratio, Bigham
added. “Addition of soluble calcium can overcome the dispersion effects of
magnesium or sodium ions and help promote flocculation and structure
development in dispersed soils,” he said.
“Agricultural soils have been degraded
by centuries of farming practices that disturb soils’ physical properties and
create imbalances in soil chemistry resulting in compromised soil biology,”
adds Ron Chamberlain, an agronomist with GYPSOIL. “As a result, many soils are
no longer able to provide enough natural nutrition and adequate root
environment for profitable crop growth. By restoring soil physical properties,
gypsum facilitates the natural restoration of soil microbiological complexes
which in turn improve soil structure and bring balance to soil chemistry.”
4. Improves water infiltration
Gypsum also improves the ability of
soil to drain and not become waterlogged due to a combination of high sodium,
swelling clay and excess water, Dick said. “When we apply gypsum to soil it
allows water to move into the soil and allow the crop to grow well,” he said.
Increased water-use efficiency of crops
is extremely important during a drought, added Allen Torbert, research leader
at the USDA-ARS National Soil Dynamics Lab, Auburn, AL. “The key to helping
crops survive a drought is to capture all the water you can when it does rain,”
he said. “Better soil structure allows all the positive benefits of soil-water
relations to occur and gypsum helps to create and support good soil structure
properties.”
5. Helps reduce runoff and erosion
Agriculture is considered to be one of
the major contributors to water quality, with phosphorus runoff the biggest
concern. Experts explained how gypsum helps to keep phosphorus and other
nutrients from leaving farm fields. “Gypsum should be considered as a Best
Management Practice for reducing soluble P losses,” said Torbert, who showed
studies on how gypsum interacts with phosphorus.
Darrell Norton, retired soil scientist
at the USDA-ARS National Soil Erosion Research Laboratory at Purdue University,
added: “Using gypsum as a soil amendment is the most economical way to cut the
non-point run-off pollution of phosphorus.”
by Matt Hopkins
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