SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Agron.
Sec. Plant-Soil Interactions
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of Soil Health on Nutritional Quality of Crops and Human HealthView all 6 articles
Sulphur Nutrition Management in Sub-Saharan Africa Crop Production: A Systematic Review
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Soil and Geological Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
- 2Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, United States
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Sulphur (S) deficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), driven by soil degradation and S-free fertilisers, threatens crop yield and protein quality. This systematic review synthesises four decades of studies (1980–2024) to assess soil S status, analysis methods, management challenges, and recommended rates for effective fertilisation to improve sustainable productivity. A systematic literature review was conducted following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework to synthesise available evidence on S nutrient management in agricultural soils across SSA. The review revealed that S concentrations were generally higher in surface horizons compared to sub-surface layers, with vertical distribution influenced by soil texture, pedogenic processes, organic matter content, and fertiliser inputs. In highly weathered soils, S depletion was pronounced, contributing to widespread deficiencies across SSA's agricultural landscapes. Analysis of S fertilisation practices showed a research cereal crop (s) emphasis, accounting for 65% of studies, followed by legumes with 25% and oilseeds with 10%. Most of the cereal studies have reported S application rates between 0 and 30 kg S/ha, with 71% of studies applying ≤20 kg S/ha. Legumes, by contrast, received higher rates (21–40 kg S/ha), typically through potassium sulphate or nitrogen-phosphorus-sulphur (NPS) blended fertilisers. Yield responses to S application varied significantly by crop type. Maize exhibited the higher yield increase, ranging from 20% to 260% depending on the fertiliser application rate, followed by wheat and rice. Legumes such as soybeans showed more modest increase of 25%, while oilseeds like canola and sesame responded minimally, even under higher S inputs. These findings underscore the need for crop-and site-specific S management strategies in SSA. The adoption of soil testing and decision-making frameworks such as the 4R nutrient stewardship (right source, rate, time, and place) is recommended to optimise crop yield and reduce environmental risks associated with nutrient mismanagement.
Keywords: agricultural soils, Crop yield response, nutrient management, Nutrient stewardship (4R), soil fertility, sub-Saharan Africa, Sulphur application rates, sulphur deficiency
Received: 30 Jun 2025; Accepted: 10 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Moshi, Amuri and Weil. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Martin M Moshi, martin.moshi@sua.ac.tz
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