PACIFIC FERTILISER

Tag: Melbourne gypsum

Gypsum Quality Comparison Report 2017

Pacific Fertiliser recently added more gypsum pits to a study it undertook in 2015 for detailed research into the bulk agricultural gypsum products available on the eastern seaboard of Australia. This research continues on from the NSW Department of Primary Industries work in 1996 which was reported in the AgFact AC.10 (Agdex 514) document.

The numerous gypsum samples were obtained from various agricultural gypsum sources either ex mine pit or from product landed on the farm. Pacific Fertiliser natural gypsum and REGYP recycled gypsum products were tested during the research and these were taken from our finished product stockpiles.

The main items we tested for were gypsum purity, sizing and solubility. The results enable us to benchmark our products against others, but also to help customers in their evaluation of which gypsum to use when they are looking to purchase gypsum for their farm or project.

When testing for gypsum solubility, we employed the method used in the AgFact AC.10 paper. This test method is more indicative of what happens in the paddock rather than the normal method to test solubility, where gypsum samples are finely ground up before being analysed. Due to the river bed gypsum having higher salt contents we had to adjust the solubility results to reflect the true gypsum solubility.

If you have any questions or would like to view the full report please feel free to call 1300473497 or visit our website www.pacificfertiliser.com

Test Laboratory:
Pacific Fertiliser commissioned Cement Australia to do the gypsum analysis work in 2015 through to 2017 for our research. Cement Australia’s laboratory in Darra QLD is NATA approved and very proficient and experienced in testing gypsum and other minerals.

Test Methods:
Gypsum Purity:-                      Calculated from Sulphur (S) content. (18.6% Sulphur is 100% CaSO4.2H2O)
Sulphur Content: –                  X-ray fluorescence (XRF)
Total Calcium:- XRF
Total Oxides:- XRF
Moisture Content:-                 AS 4489.8.1, modified for gypsum by limiting heat to 40ºC for 24 hrs.
Particle Size:- Analysis Dry sieve
Gypsum Solubility:-                As per the method used in the NSW AGFACTS AC.10. Solubility is expressed as electrical conductivity (EC) of solution obtained by adding the equivalent of 10g of pure gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) to 1 litre of demineralised water. This solution is gently shaken (20 times end over end) and placed in a centrifuge for 10 minutes. The unit of electrical conductivity is dS/m.
Adjusted solubility:-                Pacific Fertiliser added a modified column to the analysis results in the above table, to allow for the effect on electrical conductivity in the gypsum samples with a higher salt content. The measured electrical conductivity (EC) of a solution is influenced by the concentration and composition of dissolved salts. In the 1996 results Bourke solubility was 0.4 dS/m and Balranald was 1.0 dS/m.

Please download a full copy of the research report here (17mB)

March 30, 2017
Pacific Fertiliser Releases a New Brochure

PacFert releases a new products brochure. The brochure contains a lot of the products we supply, however there are many more so please feel free to enquire if it is not on the website or in the brochure.

Please download a copy of the new brochure:

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May 14, 2015
Sodic Soils Still Require Attenion

Putting the dollars into sodic soil management

Key Points of the GRDC article:
– Sodicity is the presence of too much sodium (Na) in the soil.
– Australia represents the majority of the world’s sodicity issues which can lead to a reduction in plant growth and grain yield as well as decreased soil structural ability.
– Soil amelioration of sodic soil with gypsum has increased crop yields of wheat, chickpeas, sorghum and canola.
– Opportunities exist for further research into the practical application of amelioration strategies such as gypsum and their potential cost/benefit to growers across a range of soils and environmental situations.
– Like most cropping issues, growers and agronomists need to complement their knowledge of the underlying bio-physical systems with careful observation to craft a solution that is appropriate for individual situations.

Future research into sodic soils in Australia’s northern cropping belt should aim to equip growers with the decision-making tools to implement feasible and cost effective management strategies. Dr Neal Menzies from the University of Queensland’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences believes that while the adverse effects of sodicity on plant growth are well documented, important knowledge gaps still remain in scientists’ understanding of sodic soils.

Addressing advisors and growers at the recent Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Grain Research Updates, Dr Menzies said these gaps centred on the practical application of amelioration strategies and the potential cost/benefit to growers across a range of soils and environmental situations. “We need to be better able to predict on which soils an economic benefit will be gained from the application of gypsum, including setting the appropriate rate of application, and frequency of repeat applications,” Dr Menzies said.

“We also need to develop strategies for the amelioration of sodic subsoils and improve our ability to predict when subsoil amelioration will be economically attractive. It is also important that we refine water and nutrient management approaches for sodic soils and better understand, and hence be able to optimize, alternative amelioration strategies such as organic matter management.”

Simply defined, sodicity is the presence of too much sodium (Na) in the soil. Australia represents the majority of the world’s sodicity issues which can lead to a reduction in plant growth and grain yield as well as decreased soil structural ability which underpins a range of physical problems within the soil.

Management usually relies on gypsum applications but devising a comprehensive and targeted management strategy can be difficult due to the vast differences between soils, such as in clay content, organic matter content and mineralogy, and the broad range of effects Na has on soils and plant growth.
At a mechanistic level, the adverse effects of sodicity on plant growth are well understood by the research and extension communities.
Unfortunately though, differences in soil and plant characteristics, climate and agronomy mean that this understanding cannot be directly converted to a simple set of fool-proof rules, according to Dr Menzies.
“Like most cropping problems, growers and agronomists need to complement their knowledge of the underlying bio-physical system with careful observation to craft a solution appropriate for their situation,” he said.
“The most commonly considered sodicity problem is decreased soil structural stability, and the resultant soil physical problems but we understand this problem, and have a number of amelioration strategies with which to address it.

“We less frequently consider how we should address the problem of sodicity resulting in excessively high pH (alkalinity) and although this problem is also well understood and amelioration strategies are available, in the Australian dry-land farming context their implementation is rarely economically attractive.”

Sodic soils have extremely poor physical characteristics which, in farming soils, generally lead to problems managing water and air regimes in the soil. The lack of soil structural stability results in dispersion of the surface during rainfall to form a seal. This seal limits infiltration and causes a greater proportion of rainfall to runoff, therefore reducing water availability for crops growing in the soil and increasing the risk of erosion. On drying, the seal hardens as a crust which can prevent emergence of germinating seeds resulting in poor crop establishment. In addition, sodic soils are difficult to cultivate and have poor load-bearing characteristics due to the influence of Na on the clay fraction in the soil.

“It is always important to remember that sodicity is a problem that impacts on the clay fraction of the soil,” Dr Menzies said. “In a sand with little clay fraction, sodicity will not result in adverse physical conditions although there may still be adverse chemical effects.”

At a mechanistic level, two processes – swelling and dispersion – are responsible for the behaviour of sodic soils with these two processes governed by the soil surface charge and how it is balanced by exchangeable cations.
“Clay surfaces in most surface soils carry a net negative charge. This charge results in the cations being attracted to the surface, and these attracted cations balance the negative charge on the soil – a process known as cation exchange capacity (CEC).”

The CEC has an impact on the physical and chemical properties of the soil both at the surface as well as deeper into the soil profile through the repulsion forces between soil particles. In certain situations, Dr Menzies said a gypsum application could be particularly effective as a means of improving soil surface conditions at sowing, providing better soil tilth and reducing crusting. However he stressed that timing was critically important to ensure that rainfall and/or irrigation did not dissolve and leach all of the gypsum prior to sowing. “Generally gypsum is applied at much lower rates than are required to displace all of the Na. The expectation from these smaller additions is that they will help to ameliorate the surface soil, increasing infiltration, and encouraging more uniform crop establishment.

“Repeat applications may be needed to sustain the surface soil improvement, and would certainly be needed if an impact on the subsoil sodicity was sought. “Such small applications can be economically attractive. In the GRDC funded Combating Subsoil Constraints project (SIP08) one-time surface applied gypsum at 2.5 tonnes/hectare increased cumulative gross margins by $207/ha over four crops (wheat 2005, chickpea 2007, wheat 2008 and sorghum 2009-10), reduced 115 tonnes sodium chloride from the rooting depth and increased plant available water capacity by 15mm. “Unfortunately, gypsum application is not always profitable and more effective prediction of gypsum response is needed.” As the extent of Na saturation of the CEC increases, the reservoir of cationic plant nutrients like calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) is diminished, and the ratio of Na to the other cations in soil solution increases dramatically.

The most important of the cation nutrition problems induced by sodicity is Ca deficiency, where high solution concentrations of Na interfere with plant uptake of Ca. According to Dr Menzies, it has long been recognised that Na is not the only cation which has this effect – high concentrations of any cation can induce Ca deficiency, with aluminium (Al) especially detrimental. For this reason the ratio of Ca to the total cations in solution is a better predictor of Ca deficiency than Ca concentration alone. An even more accurate prediction of Ca deficiency is obtained when it’s expressed as a ratio of activity in solution – the calcium activity ratio (CAR), but this is a more difficult technique and really only appropriate as a research tool.

Ca has an important role in stabilizing the pectins in plant cell walls and as Ca cannot be readily translocated within the plant, there must be sufficient Ca available in the soil solution within that soil volume for roots to grow into soil. Therefore Ca deficiency usually results in a poor root system which indirectly impacts the plant through the inability of the restricted root system to acquire water and nutrients. A crop growing in a soil where sodicity induced Ca deficiency at depth has limited root proliferation into the subsoil. This causes it to be more susceptible to drought and less able to obtain nutrients at depth, rather than showing symptoms of Ca deficiency on the shoots.

On a paddock level, Dr Menzies said it was often difficult to attribute plant growth problems to a particular cause given that the physical and chemical effects of sodicity normally occurred simultaneously in sodic soils.
“For example poor soil structure will result in susceptibility to waterlogging, with the roots irreparably damaged by low oxygen availability,” he said. “But these damaged roots would not be readily distinguished from roots damaged by Ca deficiency or by alkalinity. “At a whole plant level each of these problems, or the combination of all of these problems, will result in drought susceptibility, poor capacity to capture nutrients like phosphorus which are obtained by active uptake and diffusion toward the root.”
In most instances, Dr Menzies said the same amelioration strategy applied and the application of soluble Ca (most commonly as gypsum) would address the majority of production issues. Nevertheless he said some knowledge of the specific problem faced could be extremely valuable for the development and implementation of a remediation strategy. “For example, the various aspects of poor soil structure caused by dispersion are a diffuse double layer problem – the zone of increased cation concentration and decreased anion concentration. But, individual expressions of poor soil structure require different remediation strategies,” Dr Menzies said.
“At the immediate surface of the soil, dispersion can result in surface sealing, and in the short term this can be addressed by increasing the ionic strength of the soil solution through the application of relatively low rates of gypsum. “These applications must be repeated regularly as rainfall will dissolve the gypsum and leach it down through the soil profile. Once the solid phase gypsum is all dissolved, the ionic strength of the soil solution will fall – approaching the very low ionic strength of rainwater at the soil surface – and the risk of surface sealing will re-emerge.

“Deeper in the soil profile, the ionic strength of the soil solution is much more buffered, and the beneficial effect of gypsum application is limited to the replacement of Na by Ca on the CEC.”
Caption: Dr Neal Menzies from the University of Queensland’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences believes that while the adverse effects of sodicity on plant growth are well documented, important knowledge gaps still remain in scientists’ understanding of sodic soils.

Author: Sarah Jeffrey, Senior Consultant Cox Inall Communications – Dr Neal Menzies University of Queensland, School of Agriculture and Food Sciences – See more at: http://www.grdc.com.au/Media-Centre/Media-News/North/2015/04/Putting-the-dollars-into-sodic-soil-management#sthash.DbSCgqem.dpuf

April 27, 2015
Five Key Benefits of Gypsum You Should Know

Here are five key benefits of gypsum application:

1. Source of calcium and sulfur for plant nutrition. Plants are becoming more deficient for sulfur and mot soil are not supplying it. Gypsum is an excellent and cheap source of sulfur for plant nutrition and improving crop yield.

2. Improves soil structure. Flocculation, or aggregation, is needed to give favorable soil structure for root growth and air and water movement. Clay dispersion and collapse of structure at the soil-air interface is a major contributor to crust formation. 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. This is important to manage the calcium status of the soil, just like managing NPK levels.In soils having unfavorable calcium-magnesium ratios, gypsum can create a more favorable ratio. The addition of soluble calcium can overcome the dispersion effects of magnesium or sodium ions and help promote flocculation and structure development in dispersed soils.

3. 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. When gypsum is applied to the soil, it allows water to move into the soil and allow the crop to grow well.Increased water-use efficiency of crops is extremely important during a drought and with the increased costs of irrigation water and power bills. 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.

4. Gypsum improves water infiltration rates into soils and also hydraulic conductivity of the soil. It is protection against excess water run-off from especially large storms that are accompanied with erosion. 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.

5. Improves acid soils and treats aluminum toxicity. Gypsum has the ability to reduce aluminum toxicity, which often accompanies soil acidity, particularly in subsoils. Gypsum can improve some acid soils (sodic soils) even beyond what lime can do for them, which makes it possible to have deeper rooting with resulting benefits to the crops. Top dressed gypsum leaches down to to the subsoil and results in increased root growth. Gypsum can also increase the effectiveness of liming when treating acid soils.

April 23, 2015
Gypsum Shipments

We have received the latest shipment of gypsum.

Whilst Pacific Fertiliser continues to import high quality bulk gypsum products from other states and overseas, it is also exploring gypsum resources in NSW & QLD to satisfy the market.

Pacific Fertiliser generally holds the following stockpiles:
– 20,000 tonne of natural gypsum in stock in Brisbane;
– 10,000 tonne of natural gypsum in Sydney;
– 10,000 tonne of natural gypsum in Melbourne;
– We hold minimal stock in Cowra NSW and Bundaberg QLD.

July 28, 2014
Thai Gypsum

Pacific Fertiliser has performed a trial with Thai mined gypsum and has had some good results in milling the product to a fine powder for various applications.

The product looks good and will be available ex Sydney and Melbourne.

Note:- Pacific Fertiliser prefers to sell gypsum mined in Australia.

December 19, 2013
Pacific Fertiliser releases a NEW Product Brochure

PacFert releases a NEW Product Brochure outing some of its products.

Please download a copy of the new Pacific Fertiliser product brochure using the following link

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October 15, 2013
Pacific Fertiliser Sales
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To avoid confusion between natural mined products and recycled gypsum products, we have started PACIFIC FERTILSER to separate the natural products from REGYP. From July 1 2013, sales will go through the following process:
1. PACIFIC FERTILISER – from 1 July 2013, sells all the natural mined products inc mined gypsum, phosphate rock, lime, bentonite and dolomite ontop of fertiliser sales;
2. REGYP – will continue to sell all of the recycled products inc bulk recycled gypsum, compost & manures.
Contact details for REGYP remain as:

Phone – 1300 473 497

Fax – 02 80786 3047

Email Orders/Sales – orders @ regyp.com.au

Email Accounts – accounts @ regyp.com.au

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July 8, 2013
Gypsum is White Gold

Pacific Fertiliser Gypsum Is Almost A Universal Soil Amendment

Irrigated land eventually leads to sodicity and salinity unless extreme care is taken. Gypsum is a key ingredient for the maintenance of agriculture on many types of soils and over a wide pH range including sodicity. Advantages of Pacific gypsum in addition to prevention and correction of sodicity include greater stability of soil organic matter, more stable soil aggregates., improved water penetration into soil, and more rapid seed emergence.

The need for gypsum in amounts varying from small to large is almost universal. Gypsum and water-soluble polymers magnify the value of each other. Together they have an important role in making a better environment, especially for growing plants..

Regular use of gypsum is essential to the sustainability of most irrigated soils. It has been used as a soil amendment and fertilizer for over 200 years. Gypsum is calcium sulfate. The most common form of it is the dihydrate– which means that each molecule of calcium sulfate has two water molecules associated with it. It is expressed as CaSO4 2H2O.

Some Reasons For Using Gypsum:

Gypsum Improves Soil Structure:
Gypsum provides calcium which is needed to flocculate clays in acid and alkaline soil. It is the process in which many individual small clay particles are bound together to give much fewer but larger particles. Such flocculation is needed to give favorable soil structure for root growth and air and water movement.

Gypsum Helps Reclaim Sodic Soils:
Gypsum is used in the reclamation of sodic soils. Where the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) of sodic soils is too high, it must be decreased for soil improvement and better crop growth. The most economical way is to add gypsum which supplies calcium. The calcium replaces the sodium held on the clay-bind sites. The sodium can then be leached from the soil as sodium sulfate to an appropriate sink. The sulfate is the residue from the gypsum. Without Gypsum, the soil would not be leachable. Sometimes and ESP of three is too high, but sometimes up to ten or more can be tolerated. The range is partly the result of concentration of soluble salts.

Gypsum Prevents Crusting of Soil and Aids Seed Emergence:
Gypsum can decrease and prevent the crust formation on soil surfaces which result from rain drops or from sprinkler irrigation on unstable soil. It can even prevent crusting that results when acid soils are limed – the gypsum is co-applied with the lime. The gypsum is either surface applied or put on in the irrigation system. Prevention of crust formation means more seed emergence, more rapid seed emergence, and easily a few days sooner to harvest and market. Seed emergence has been increased often by 50 to 100 percent. The prevention of crusting in dispersive soils is a flocculation reaction.

Gypsum Improves Low-Solute Irrigation Water:
Gypsum is used to increase the solute concentration of low-solute water used for irrigation. Irrigation water from rivers that no longer have sources of leachable salts either penetrates poorly into soil or causes soil particles to degrade which results in low-water penetration. Rain water can behave the same way and result in soil compaction. The problem can be corrected with surface-applied gypsum or application to the irrigation water.

Gypsum Improves Compacted Soil:
Gypsums can help break up compacted soil and decrease penetrometer resistance. Soil compaction can be prevented by not plowing or driving machinery on soil when it is too wet. The compaction in many (but not all soils) can be decreased with gypsum, especially when combined with deep tillage to break up the compaction. Combination with organic amendments also helps, especially in preventing return of the compaction.

Gypsum Makes Slightly Wet Soils Easier to Till:
Soils that have been treated with gypsum have a wider range of soil moisture levels where it is safe to till without danger of compaction or deflocculation. This accompanied with greater ease of tillage and more effective seedbed preparation and weed control. Less energy is need for the tillage.

Gypsum Stops Water Run-off And Erosion:
Gypsum improves water infiltration rates into soils and also hydraulic conductivity of the soil. It is protection against excess water run-off from especially large storms that are accompanied with erosion.

Gypsum Decrease pH of Sodic Soils:
Gypsum immediately decreases the pH of sodic soils or near sodic soils from values over 9 but usually over 8 to values from 7.5 to 7.8. hydrolysis values are in the range of acceptability for growth of most crop plants. Probably more than one mechanism is involved.

Gypsum Increases the pH of Acidic Soils:
One mechanism in which gypsum can increase soil pH enough in some acid soils to sufficiently decrease the level of soluble aluminum to grow crops satisfactorily is replacement of hydroxyl ions from some clay lattices by sulfate ions.

Gypsum Improves Swelling Clays:
Gypsum can decrease the swelling and cracking associated with high levels of exchangeable sodium on the montmorillonite-type clays (Aldrich and Schoonover 1951). As sodium is replaced by calcium on hydrolysis clays, they swell less and therefore do not easily clog the pore spaces through which air, water and roots move.

Gypsum Prevents Waterlogging of Soil:
Gypsum improves the ability of soil to drain and not become waterlogged due to a combination of high sodium, swelling clay, and excess water. Improvements of infiltration rate and hydraulic conductivity with use of gypsum add to the ability of soils to have adequate drainage.

Gypsum Increases the Stability of Soil Organic Matter:
Gypsum is a source of calcium which gives stability to soil aggregates. The value of organic matter applied to soil is increased when it is applied with gypsum.

Gypsum Makes Water-Soluble Polymer Soil Conditioners More Effective:
Gypsum complements or even magnifies the beneficial effects of water- soluble polymers used as amendments to improve soil structure. Like for organic matter, calcium, which comes from gypsum, is the mechanism for binding of the water-soluble polymers to the clay in soil.

Gypsum Makes Excess Magnesium Non-Toxic:
In soils having unfavorable calcium: magnesium ratios, such as serpentine soils, gypsum can create a more favorable ratio.

Gypsum Corrects Subsoil Acidity:
Gypsum can improve some acid soils even beyond what lime can do for them. Surface crusting an be prevented. The effect of toxic soluble aluminum can be decreased, including in the subsoil where lime will not penetrate. It is then possible to have deeper rooting with resulting benefits to the crops. The mechanism is more than replacement of acidic hydrogen ions which can be leached from the soil to give higher pH. Hydrogen ions don’t migrate rapidly in soils containing clay. Gypsum is now being widely used on acid soils.

Gypsum Can Enhance The Values of Liming:
Addition of gypsum and lime to soil can increased crop yields. The combination also decreased leaching losses of potassium and magnesium.

Gypsum Improves Water-Use Efficiency:
Gypsum increases water-use efficiency of crops. In areas and times of drought, this is extremely important. Improved water infiltration rates, improved hydraulic conductivity of soil, better water storage in the soil all lead to deeper rooting and better water-use efficiency. From 25 to 100 percent more water is available in gypsum- treated soils than in non-treated soils.

Gypsum Creates Favorable Soil EC:
Gypsum, being readily soluble, results in a proper buffered solute concentration (EC) in soil to maintain soil in a flocculated state. It is better environmentally and cost-wise to maintain the needed EC with gypsum than with excess application of fertilizers. Regular annual applications of gypsum are needed for this purpose. Many highly weathered soils throughout the world have surface crusting because of low electrolyte content This can be corrected with gypsum.

Gypsum Makes It Possible to Efficiently Use Low-Quality Irrigation Water:
Gypsum is essential when low-quality irrigation water must be used. The effective sodium absorption ration SAR) of irrigation water should be less than 6 for some crops and less than 6 for some crops and less than 9 for others. When it exceeds hydrolysis limits, gypsum should be applied to the soil or to the water. Use of reclaimed municipal waste water is important for conservation of natural resources. Reclaimed water can be satisfactorily used if amendments, such as gypsum and water-soluble polymers, are also used. Care must be taken, however, to avoid sodium build-up in the lower horizons of soil because of excessive leaching when swelling clays are present.

Gypsum Decreases Dust Erosion:
Use of gypsum can decease wind and water erosion of soil. Severe dust problems can be decreased, especially when combined with uses of water-soluble polymers. Less pesticide and nutrient residues will escape from the surface of land to reach lakes and rivers when appropriate amendment are used to stabilize soil.

Gypsum has several environmental values:

Gypsum Helps Plants Absorb Plant Nutrients:
Calcium, which is supplied in gypsum, is essential to the biochemical mechanisms by which most plant nutrients are absorbed by root). Without adequate calcium, uptake mechanisms would fail.

Gypsum Decrease Heavy-Metal Toxicity:
Calcium also acts as a regulator of the balance of particularly the micro-nutrients, such as iron, zinc, manganese and copper, in plant. It also regulates non- essential trace elements. Calcium prevents excess uptake of many of them; and once they are in the plant, calcium keeps them from having adverse effects when their levels get high. Calcium in liberal quantities helps to maintain a healthy balance of nutrients and non- nutrients within plants. Gypsum contains calcium.

Gypsum Increases Value Of Organics:
Gypsum adds to the value of organic amendments. Blends of gypsum and organics increase the value of the other as soil amendments, especially for improvement of soil structure. High levels of soil organic matter are always associated with liberal amounts of calcium which is part of gypsum. Calcium decreases burn-out of soil organic matter when soils are cultivated by bridging the organic matter to clay.

Gypsum Improves Fruit Quality and Prevents Some Plant Diseases:
Calcium is nearly always only marginally sufficient and often deficient in developing fruits. Good fruit quality requires and adequate amount of calcium. Calcium moves very slowly, if at all, from one plant part to another and fruits at the end of the transport system get too little. Calcium must be constantly available to the roots. In very high pH soils, calcium is not available enough; therefore, gypsum helps. Gypsum is used for peanuts, which develop below the ground, to keep them disease-free.

Gypsum helps prevent blossom-end root of watermelons and tomatoes, and bitter pit in apples. Gypsum is preferred over lime for potatoes grown in acidic soils so that scab may be controlled. Root rot of avocado trees caused by Phytothora is partially corrected by gypsum and organics.

Gypsum Is A Source Of Sulfur:
Gypsum is a source of fertilizer sulfur. Due to the trend to production of high-analysis fertilizers and due to the need of removing sulfur dioxide emission in industrial operations to give cleaner air, more and more sulfur deficiencies are present in agriculture.

Gypsum Helps Prepare Soil For No-Till Management:
A liberal application gypsum is a good procedure for starting a piece of land into no-till management or pasture. Improved soil aggregation and permeability will persist for years and surface-applied fertilizers will more easily penetrate as result of the gypsum.

Gypsum Decreases Bulk Density of Soil:
Gypsum-treated soil has a lower bulk density compared with untreated soil. Organics can even decrease it more when both are used. The softer soil is easier to till, and crops like it better.

Gypsum Decreases the Toxic Effect of Salinity:
Calcium from gypsum has a physiological role inhibiting the uptake of sodium by plants). For species of plants not tolerant to sodium, calcium protects from toxicity of sodium but not chloride. Calcium overcomes toxic effects of sodium chloride salinity on seed germinations and plant growth.

Gypsum Can Decrease pH of Rhizosphere:
Increased calcium uptake by roots when gypsum is applied can decrease the pH of the rhizosphere. In high pH soils, the added availability of iron and zinc is very important to some plant species.

Gypsum Keeps Clay off Tuber and Root Crops:
Gypsum can help keep clay particles from adhering to roots, bulbs and tubers of crops like potatoes, carrots, garlic and beets. In combination with water-soluble polymers, it is even more beneficial.

Gypsum Decreases loss of Fertilizer Nitrogen to the Air:
Calcium from gypsum can help decrease volatilization loss of ammonium nitrogen from applications of ammonia, ammonium nitrate, UAN, urea, ammonium sulfate, or any of the ammonium phosphates. Calcium can decrease the effective pH by precipitating carbonates and also by forming a complex calcium salt with ammonium hydroxide which prevents ammonia less to the atmosphere. Actually, calcium improves the uptake of nitrogen by plant roots, especially when the plants are young.

Gypsum Can Be A Source Of Oxygen for Plants:
The sulfate that is taken up by plants and metabolized releases the associated oxygen which is a source of oxygen to plant roots- although a limited source. Nitrate nitrogen does the same except it is a larger source of oxygen than is sulfate. Under adverse conditions, the oxygen coming from sulfate can be important such as with root rot in avocado.

Gypsum helps Earthworms to Flourish:
A continuous supply of calcium with organics is essential to earthworms that improve soil aeration, improve soil aggregation, and mix the soil. Earthworms can do the plowing for no- till agriculture.

Gypsum Can Increase Water Retention in Soil:
Gypsum when applied to sodic soil decreased levels of exchangeable sodium resulting in a large increase in water retention at a given tension compared with controls. Dry matter and seed yield were increased as a result.

Gypsum Can Increase Crop Yields:
Gypsum for various combinations of the above effects can substantially increase crop yields from 10 to 50 percent.

You have visited the Pacific Fertiliser website, for more info please visit the full website www.pacificfertiliser.com , or call 1300 473 497 for more information.

July 7, 2013