With all the saturated fields we had this past spring many farmers found large patches of soybean fields dying out. This is known as dampening off or Phytophthora root rot.

Did you know you have options other than replanting… if you start now with fall fertility.

Current recommendations to control root rot are:

• Choosing the right variety
• Improve soil drainage
• Fungicide seed treatments can be used to reduce the early season damping off
• Avoid applying high levels of potash

Many growers will not want to reduce their applied potash for fear of yield loss, fungicides have shown to help, tilling can improve drainage, and the variety that may yield the best under normal conditions may not have resistance to root rot.

What if there was a product that could improve soil drainage, making tile work better, add nutrients to increases soybean yields, and helps with potash uptake? What if you could replace a fertilizer you are already using and it costs less?

Lucky for you there is, its called SuperCal So4 pelletized gypsum. You can use it as your primary sulfur source since it has 17% sulfur in the sulfate form. That means it works right away in any pH. SuperCal SO4 help drainage tile works better, increases yields, and increases nutrient uptake.

While no University is currently doing any research on reducing root rot on soybeans with gypsum, lots are looking at gypsum on other crops. Gypsum has shown to reduce root rot on many other crops.

Root Rot in Avocado
Infection of avocado seedlings by Phytophthora cinnamomi in infested soil was decreased by 71% by the addition of gypsum soil amendments in replicated greenhouse experiments.
 
From: Effects of Gypsum Soil Amendments on Avocado Growth, Soil Drainage, and Resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi. B. J. Messenger, J. A. Menge, and E. Pond, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside 92521

Red Stele in Strawberries 
Gypsum applied at 6 tons/acre either in the fall or spring prior to planting strawberries significantly reduced the incidence and severity of red stele (Red stele is caused by the soil borne fungus Phytophthora fragariae) in the spring, one year after planting compared to untreated soil. The severity of red stele remained significantly lower in plots amended with gypsum applied at 6 tons/acre in the spring, compared to untreated plots for up to 2 years after  application.

 From:  Effect of rate and timing of gypsum soil amendments on the incidence and severity of red stele in strawberries  M.J. Celetti,  C. Kessel, P. Fisher, J. DeEl, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Guelph, Ontario; Simcoe, Ontario

Note: Customers of ours have reported better results with 300# of SuperCal SO4 than 3 tons of gypsum sourced on the west coast.

Raspberry -- Root Rot
Cause: Root rot is a major disease complex of raspberry in the Pacific Northwest. Many fungi and fungus-like microorganisms associated with cane fruit root rots are associated with strawberry black root rot. Phytophthora fragariae var. rubi causes a typical wet-soil root rot on some red raspberry cultivars throughout the region.
Cultural Control: Amend soil with gypsum (6 tons/A) before making raised beds and planting.

From: http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/disease.cfm?RecordID=954

Note: Customers of ours have reported better results with 300# of SuperCal SO4 than 3 tons of gypsum sourced on the west coast.

In a world of high priced fertilizers it’s nice that you have alternatives. Not only will SuperCal SO4 cost you less per pound of sulfur than anything on the market, you have the benefits of increased soil drainage, increased nutrient uptake, and reduction in soil borne disease!

SuperCal SO4 a real bargain in a high priced market.