Sulphur for agricultural use: an essential ally for the present and future of organic farming

• Growing consumer demand for healthier and more sustainable agricultural products is leading to increased interest in organic farming.
• The potential of sulphur as a natural protection against diseases caused by fungi and mites is particularly valuable in organically and biodynamically certified farms.
• In addition, sulphur offers the added benefit of not causing resistance in crops, which is essential to ensure its continued use.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in interest among both farmers and consumers in agricultural products originating from fields and farms with the corresponding official organic farming certification.

In this regard, the growing number of consumers who have made it a purchasing criterion not only to know what they eat, but also to have as much detailed information as possible about the process followed by the food they consume, from its origin to their table, together with the commitment of many farmers to developing increasingly sustainable and environmentally friendly agriculture, has resulted in Spain having, according to the latest data published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, more than 2 million hectares dedicated to organic farming. This represents 17.1% of the country’s agricultural area and 9.3% of its Utilised Agricultural Area.

Both these crops and those grown under biodynamic agricultural systems find in sulphur, in its different formulations, an excellent ally for contributing to the protection and health of their crops against pests and diseases.

Unlike synthetic plant health solutions, which cannot be used in organically or biodynamically certified crops, sulphur’s strictly natural nature, whether applied by dusting or spraying, provides these farms with high-level protection against threats caused particularly by mites and fungi.

Beyond this essential role in safeguarding the future of organic farming, sulphur also offers a range of additional benefits compared with other crop protection alternatives, including the fact that it does not cause resistance in crops, allowing it to be applied continuously whenever necessary.

Likewise, sulphur’s natural composition also gives farmers the possibility of using a plant protection product that is not subject to the same restrictions regarding Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) as other synthetic treatments.

For all these reasons, whether you operate a farm certified for organic or biodynamic agriculture or your crops follow a conventional agricultural production system, do not hesitate to entrust the protection of your crops to sulphur applied by dusting or to sulphur solutions applied by spraying, selecting the most appropriate option according to the threats identified on your farm.

In the latter case, if you prefer preventive application or sulphur treatment by spraying, AFEPASA recommends taking advantage of the benefits that our products offer your crops: AZUMO MG, a preventive and curative treatment against mites, powdery mildew and other fungal diseases, and Liquid Sulphur 800 g/l, particularly suitable for protection against powdery mildew, red spider mite and erineum mite.