Almost 40 benefits from its use on land have been documented. Gypsum is also a by-product of various manufacturing operations.įor many reasons, gypsum can be considered to be a farmer’s best friend. The smaller sizes go into solution more rapidly than do large sizes. Much of the gypsum used in agriculture is mined and then pulverized to desirable particle sizes. The plaster of Paris used commercially has only one-half water and another form called gypsum anhydrite has no water. The most common form of it is the dihydrate which means that each molecule of calcium sulfate has two water molecules associated with it. Benjamin Franklin was said to have successfully spelled out the sentence on one of his fields with the response from gypsum, “This land has been plastered.” Plaster of Paris is a form of gypsum. It has been used as a soil amendment and fertilizer for over 200 years. Regular use of gypsum is essential to the sustainability of most irrigated soils. Together they have an important role in making a better environment, especially for growing plants. Gypsum and water-soluble polymers magnify the value of each other. The need for gypsum in amounts varying from small to large is almost universal. Advantages of gypsum in addition to prevention and correction of sodicity include greater stability of soil organic matter, more stable soil aggregates, improved water penetration into soil, and more rapid seed emergence. Waste-product gypsum is available in a large number of locations at very little or no cost. Gypsum is a key ingredient for the maintenance of agriculture on many types of soils and over a wide pH range including sodicity. Irrigated land eventually leads to sodicity and salinity unless extreme care is taken. Abstract: Agriculture has failed to be sustainable several times in the history of the world because of soil failure (Rush, 1987).