SULFUR DEFICIENCY IN CULTURAL SOIL AND ITS EFFECT ON THE PRODUCTIVITY

In previous decades sulfur was considered as a pollutant to the environment, this led to create legislation to reduce emissions of the element to the atmosphere, which caused an imbalance in the global sulfur cycle, becoming insufficient in soils where intensive agriculture is practiced. China was the first country to recognize the problem and created a sulfur fertilization program. The result was an increase in agricultural productivity. Sulfur deficiency in soils is related to low productivity, increased susceptibility to pests, reduced resistance to drought, cold, salinity. So it is necessary that each agricultural region determine the sulfur levels in agricultural soils, where corrective measures would enhance productivity. According to FAO data is necessary to increase food production by 60 % in the next four decades, sulfur fertilization could be one factor to consider to achieve it, considering that fertilizer technology has generated a variety of sulfur products whose selection will depend of edaphoclimatic conditions, among other factors. For sulfur soils, it is necessary to take corrective actions, as the demand for food is growing larger.