First phase proving polyhalite potential in Brazil

23 maja 2017

Detailed research in Brazil has shown the significant contribution that polyhalite fertilizer makes to crop productivity. This new evidence is opening the way for even more trials of polyhalite, marketed as Polysulphate, in a wide range of key Brazilian crops.

Increased fertilizer use has helped Brazilian agriculture to develop but nutritional imbalances remain a limiting factor for crop productivity. Almost a third of the fertilizers used are potash fertilizers however the full potential of polyhalite fertilizer - the natural complex mineral supplying calcium, magnesium, sulphur and potassium - has not been deeply investigated or recognized until now.

Results of important work at Sao Paulo University, with the support of IPI and ICL, have signposted the potential of polyhalite as a nutrient donor for soybean as well as rice. The potted rice experiment using the typical low nutrient, sandy Brazilian soil provides convincing evidence that polyhalite is an effective fertilizer.

The soybean field trial showed polyhalite fertilizer has considerable potential to improve production in no-tillage systems, especially in soils with calcium and magnesium deficiencies. Moreover it performs as well as potassium chloride fertilizer but without the adverse effects of chloride. More than all that, the major advantage of polyhalite reported in the research findings is that is delivers sulphur, the essential plant nutrient often overlooked.

Brazils’ major crops - sugar cane, soybean, corn and cotton - all require significant sulphur and could benefit greatly from polyhalite fertilizer, Polysulphate. Wider research in all these crops has begun. This is the next step in consolidating the potential of polyhalite as an important fertilizer for Brazilian crops.

More information on the research in Brazil is available from the Internation Potash Institute website.