PhoSul, a new phosphorus fertilizer combining rock phosphate, sulfur, and silica to reduce nutrient tie-up and improve soil health, was launched into the Canadian crop market at Ag in Motion 2025.
Tag Archives soil fertility
New fertilizer product aims to reduce tie-up, improve soil health
Vancouver-area company’s PhoSul product combines rock phosphate, sulphur and silica
Do farmers need to apply sulphur to their crops every year?
Research suggests this important nutrient hangs around a lot longer than farmers think
“In terms of the reactions with some of the other elements of the soil, particularly in soils that have a lot of calcium, it hangs around a lot longer than we think it does.”
Understanding soil phosphorus, Part 2: Soil testing for plant-available P
Agronomy Management: The proper test for your soil and region can help answer questions your plants’ roots will ask this season
In my previous Grainews article, I discussed soil phosphorus (P) cycling in soil, effects of crop rotations and fertilizing on soil P, and how crops take up soil P. In this article I’ll discuss soil tests used to estimate plant-available P. Next issue, we’ll discuss how to develop wise phosphate fertilizer recommendations for your farm. […] Read more
Agronomist looks to give back to industry
Elliott Hildebrand sees a future for more intercropping and plant root simulator probes
Like many kids who grow up on the farm, Elliott Hildebrand fell in love with agriculture when he was a child. When there wasn’t an opportunity to work on the farm as an adult, he pursued the next best thing — agronomy. Now he has his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in agronomy from the […] Read more
Where the canola was: a history of Saskatchewan yields by soil climatic zone
Whether by nature, nurture or both, yields jumped in several zones around the turn of this century
Editor’s Note: Les Henry, the esteemed Prairie soil scientist and our longtime soils columnist, left us on June 14 at age 83. Up until the day before his passing, Les was working on and revising this column for the next (July 11) edition of Grainews. We’ll still have this on paper for you in a […] Read more
What is soil fertility?
There are no miracles in crop production, just sound scientific facts
Soil fertility for field crops is a very simple affair but extremely difficult to easily explain. Think logically. There are no miracle fertilizers, only plain and simple chemical nutrients whether from an organic source or from a concentrate of nutrients we call chemical or synthetic fertilizer. There is no such thing as a synthetic fertilizer. […] Read more
No such thing as a free lunch when it comes to crop nutrition
Yields can suffer if soils are deficient in any crop nutrient
When I worked as a plant pathologist for Alberta Agriculture in the 1970s, I was surprised to find only 10 per cent of Prairie farmers have ever had their soil tested for crop nutrients. How could they grow a cereal or canola crop without knowing what plant nutrients — nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), potassium (K) […] Read more
Are you limiting your canola’s potential?
First, choose a yield target. Then figure out how you can get your crop there
Fertility is the first thing that usually comes to mind when thinking about canola yield targets, but should it be? Deciding how you’re going to get there when you don’t know where you’re going is like putting the cart before the horse. Warren Ward, agronomist with the Canola Council of Canada, says growers need to […] Read more
Get the best yield response
Q & A with CPS
Q: Which crop nutrients applied generally provide the most yield response in any given year? What considerations should be made? A: Crop yield response to nutrients depends on many factors. While the most important factor is moisture availability, other factors like crop selection, soil type, organic matter, residual soil fertility, previous crop, tillage, type of […] Read more
Simplifying phosphorus
Experts’ opinion on P fertilizer have changed over time, and are still changing now
In the early days of fertilizer use on the Canadian Prairies phosphorus was the only game in town- mostly 11-48-0. “If in doubt use 11-48,” was the chant. Much work was done to find the amounts to use for various crops and soils and the best way to put it on. We thought we knew […] Read more
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