Coffee crop research reveals the benefits of Polysulphate use

10 marca 2017

Research into the use of polyhalite in the coffee crop of Vietnam has shown that significant increases in yield and quality are achieved when Polysulphate is introduced into the fertilizer programme.

Coffee crop needs a boost

Vietnam is the second largest coffee producing nation. Soil health and fertility has deteriorated in many areas. Crop nutrition has been identified as key in improving productivity.

Petrovietnam Fertilizer and Chemicals Corporation (PVFCCo) has an important role in advising on fertilizer recommendations for farmers.

In the recent report, they compared current common, or traditional, fertilizer use (Urea with a local blend of Ca, Mg and P) with the use of a locally available composite fertilizer (including S but not Ca and Mg) and also the use of the composite fertilizer plus polyhalite as Polysulphate.

Counting up the impact of Polysulphate

In both the districts in Lam Dong region, in south eastern Vietnam, where the research took place, the use of composite fertilizer improved profitability. But the biggest improvement was seen in the plots where Polysulphate was used as well as the composite fertilizer.

Polysulphate increased productivity of the coffee plants by up to 11.5%, and profits of the farmer improved by up to 14%. Ca and Mg have a significant influence on coffee crop production. S appears to facilitate N uptake and metabolism by the coffee plants. Understanding the relationships between soil minerals and between the minerals and the plant has been deepened by this research, enabling PVFCCo to share the knowledge of best practice with coffee farmers.

More details about the Vietnamese coffee research and findings are available for download.

Photos supplied by G.Kalyan