Fertilizer sulfur and food production

1 Introduction.- Statement of the Problem.- Objectives.- 2 Food and Nutrition Problems in Perspective.- Population and Food Production.- Magnitude and Location of Food Deficits.- Malnutrition in Developing Countries.- Sources of Calories and Protein Supply.- Components of Food Production.- 3 Fertilizer Sulfur in Strategies for Food Production.- Strategies for Expanding Food Production.- Fertilizer in Agricultural Development.- Importance of Sulfur.- Sulfur in the Fertilizer Industry.- The Sulfur Gap.- Social Cost of Inadequate Sulfur Use.- Economics of Fertilizer Sulfur.- 4 Sulfur in Plant, Animal, and Human Nutrition.- Function of Sulfur in Plant Nutrition.- Uptake and Translocation of Sulfur.- Sulfur Uptake by Different Crops.- Sulfur Application and Crop Quality.- Sulfur Interactions With Other Nutrients.- S and N Interactions.- S and P Interactions.- S and K Interactions.- S and Ca, Mg Interactions.- S and Micronutrient Interactions.- S and Mo Interactions.- S and Se Interactions.- Uptake and Recovery of Applied Fertilizer Sulfur.- Sulfur in Animal Nutrition.- Sulfur in Human Nutrition.- 5 Status, Diagnosis, and Determinants of Sulfur Deficiency.- Sulfur Status of Soils in the Tropics.- Delineation of Tropical Regions.- Sulfur Status of Tropical Soils.- Inorganic Sulfur.- Sulfate Forms and Sources.- Sulfates in Tropical Soils.- Adsorbed Sulfates.- Organic Sulfur.- Ester Sulfates.- Carbon-Bonded Sulfur Compounds.- Transformation of Organic Sulfur.- Diagnosis of Sulfur Deficiency.- Soil Testing Methods.- Soil Tests and Sulfur Response Correlation.- Biological Methods.- Tissue Testing for Sulfur Status.- Determinants of Sulfur Deficiency.- Soil Factors.- Climatic Factors.- Crops, Cropping Systems, and Crop Residue.- Fertilizer Use and Management.- Irrigation.- Industrialization and Environmental Policies.- Conclusions and Research Agenda.- 6 Crop Response to Fertilizer Sulfur in the Tropics.- Asia.- India.- Bangladesh.- Sri Lanka.- Indonesia.- Malaysia.- Philippines.- Thailand.- Papua New Guinea.- Summary for Asia.- Africa.- West Africa.- East Africa and Southern Africa.- Summary for Africa.- Latin America.- Brazil.- Venezuela.- Costa Rica.- Mexico.- Colombia.- Chile.- West Indies.- Ecuador.- Nicaragua.- Summary for Latin America.- Residual Effects of Fertilization With Sulfur.- Annual Crops.- Perennial Crops.- Conclusions and Research Agenda.- 7 Estimating Sulfur Requirements, Supplies, and Gaps.- Determinants of Sulfur Uptake.- Determinants of Sulfur Replacement Requirements.- Model for Estimating Sulfur Requirements.- Data for Estimating Sulfur Requirements.- Estimated Aggregate Sulfur Requirements.- Estimated Sulfur Requirements by Crops.- Estimating Sulfur Requirements from Nitrogen and Phosphorus Use.- Trends in Fertilizer Sulfur Supply.- Estimated Gaps in Sulfur Requirements and Sulfur Supply.- 8 Fertilizer Sulfur Sources and Supply Strategies.- Sulfur Sources.- Atmospheric Accession.- Irrigation Water.- Organic Material and Crop Residues.- Fertilizers and Soil Amendments.- Sulfur-Supplying Fertilizers and Soil Amendments.- Considerations for Formulating a Sulfur Supply Strategy.- Modification of Fertilizers to Supply Sulfur.- Research on Sulfur Fertilizers.- Modified Phosphate-Sulfur Fertilizers.- Modified Nitrogen-Sulfur Fertilizers.- Replenishing Sulfur Lost Through Leaching.- Criteria for Evaluating Fertilizer Sulfur Sources.- 9 World Sulfur Situation, Outlook, and Public Policy.- Sulfur Supply and Demand Components.- Patterns and Trends in Sulfur Production.- Patterns and Trends in Sulfur Consumption.- Patterns and Trends in Sulfuric Acid Production.- Patterns and Trends in Sulfuric Acid Consumption.- Patterns and Determinants of World Trade in Sulfur.- Sulfur Trade Policies in Selected Countries.- Behavior of International Sulfur Prices.- Sulfur Reserves, Resources, and Their Use.- Production and Use of Phosphogypsum.- 10 Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations.- Sulfur — A Neglected Fertilizer Nutrient.- Tropics and Food Production and Human Nutrition — The Target Area of Study.- Sulfur in Plant Nutrition.- Sulfur in Food Production and Human Nutrition.- Sulfur Status in the Tropics — Additions.- Sulfur-Supplying Capacity of Tropical Soils.- Contribution of Sulfur From External Sources.- Sulfur Status in the Tropics — Removals.- Sulfur Balance Sheet and Likely Scenarios.- Subsistence Agriculture.- Modern Agriculture.- Magnitude of Sulfur Deficiency in Tropical Soils.- Determining Sulfur Deficiency in the Tropics.- Crop Response to Fertilizer Sulfur.- Priority Areas for Fertilizer Sulfur Research.- Sulfur Strategies for Meeting the Challenge.- Estimating Sulfur Requirements and Gaps.- Evaluation of Alternative Fertilizer Sulfur Materials.- Economic and Policy Analysis of Fertilizer Sulfur.- Pricing of Fertilizer Sulfur.- Sulfur Situation, Resources, Trade, and Outlook.- Sulfur Trade Policies.- Phosphogypsum: A Source of Fertilizer Sulfur.- Need for Information Related to Fertilizer Sulfur.- Fertilizer Sulfur Use Recommendations.- Fertilizer Sulfur Regulation and Labeling.- Sulfur, Environmental Protection, and Food Production.- Implications for Research and Public Policy.- Priorities for National Research Programs.- Priorities for International Research Programs.- References.- Appendixes.