Staugaitienė R., Staugaitis G.

INFLUENCE OF SULPHUR FERTILISATION ON PLANT AVAILABLE SULPHUR CONTENT IN SANDY LOAM CAMBISOLS

Agrochemical Research Laboratory of the

Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry

Abstract. The experiments were conducted in 2007-2010 on Skėmiai (Radviliškis district) experimental site of Agrochemical Research Laboratory of Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry. This paper discusses the impact of fertilisation on sulphur (S) content in Epi- Endocalcari-Endohypogleyic Cambisols – RD g4-k1;k2. It was found that with 130 kg ha^-1 sulphur fertilisation rate the highest content of sulphur in soil was in 61-90 cm layer in early spring. That indicates the intensive process of sulphur migration into soil layers not accessible for plants. In autumn the highest concentration 14.30 mg kg^-1 of sulphur was in 0-30 cm soil layer.

Key words: soil, sulphur, fertilisation.

Introduction. During the last two decades it was noticed that the yields of agricultural crops and the quality of production started to decrease due to the sulphur deficiency [1,2,5].

The main reasons for the decrease of sulphur content in soil are the decreased amounts of sulphur dioxide emissions from the power plants and replacement
of sulphur-rich fertiliser with complex fertilisers containing low concentrations
of sulphur [1].

The research evidence suggests that per year up to 20 kg ha^-1 of sulphur is leached from the plough horizon of soil. Approximately the same amount of sulphur is assimilated by plants. Sulphur is especially important nutrient for Leguminosae and Brassicaceae crops [3].

The plough horizon of 45.4 % of tested Lithuanian soils contained low amounts of sulphur, 33.2 % of soils were average rich in sulphur, and 21.4 % of soils were sulphur – rich [4]. Deeper layers of soil were not tested for sulphur content. The aim of the current research was to examine the effect of fertilisation of agricultural plants with sulphur containing fertilisers on the content of plant-available sulphur in sandy loam Cambisol.

Methods and materials. Field experiments were carried out in 2007-2010 on Skėmiai (Radviliškis district) experimental site, located on Epi- Endocalcari-Endohypogleyic Cambisols – RD g4-k1;k2. The plough horizon is slightly alkaline (pH 7,2), average rich in humus - 2,2 %, total nitrogen content 0,17 %, plant-available phosphorus content 57 mg kg^-1 of soil, plant-available potassium content 109 mg kg^-1 of soil. The variants were arranged in blocs in two replications. Three sulphur fertilisation rates (including the zero rate) were tested: N₁₁₁P₀K₉₆S₀, N₁₁₁P₉₆K₉₆S₆₅, N₁₁₁P₁₉₂K₉₆S₁₃₀. First crop in plant rotation was spring rape (Brassica napus), followed by the spring barley (Hordeum L.), annual grasses (vetch and oat mixture) (Avena satina L. – Vicia sativa L.) and winter wheat (Triticuma aestivum). Mineral fertilisers were applied before the pre-sowing cultivation of soil with one exception – nitrogen fertilisation of winter wheat was carried out in spring. The following mineral fertilisers were used: ammonium nitrate (nitrogen), granular superphosphate (phosphorus and sulphur), potassium chloride (potassium). The size of experimental plot was 54 m².

Content of plant-available sulphur in soil was determined every year before the basic fertilisation and in autumn before frosts. Soil samples were collected from 0-30, 31-60, 61-90 cm layers of soil. 1 M KCl turbidimetric method of analysis was used for measuring the content of plant-available sulphur in soil samples.

Results and discussion. The content of plant-available sulphur in soil depends on many factors: soil genesis, soil type, soil texture, pH, aeration, humus content, nitrogen content, fertilisation of soil with organic and mineral fertilisers. Fertilisation of agricultural plants with different rates of sulphur had significant impact on plant-available sulphur content in sandy loam Cambisol (Table 1). In spring the lowest content of plant-available sulphur (1.30 mg kg^-1) in 0-30 cm soil layer was determined in plots fertilised with nitrogen and potassium fertilisers only. 65 kg ha^-1 sulphur fertilisation rate increased the plant-available sulphur content in soil to 3.24 mg kg^-1.

Table 1

Plant-available sulphur content in soil as affected by sulphur fertilisation

(averages for 2007-2010)

The highest content of plant-available sulphur – 8.28 mg kg^-1 in 0-30 cm soil layer – was determined in plots where 130 kg ha^-1 sulphur fertilisation rate was applied (sulphur from the granular superphosphate). On the average for four years of experiment, there was 1.31 mg kg^-1 of plant-available sulphur in 31-60 cm soil layer of plots not fertilised with sulphur. Yearly fertilisation with 65 and 130 kg ha^-1 rates of sulphur increased the content of plant-available sulphur in 31-60 cm soil layer to 5.20 mg kg^-1 and 9.81 mg kg^-1 respectively, and in 61-90 cm soil layer – to 4.95 mg kg^-1 and 9.88 mg kg^-1 respectively. High content of sulphur in lower (31-60, 61-90 cm) layers of soil indicates the intensive process of migration of sulphur compounds into soil layers not accessible for plants.

On the average for four years of experiment the content of plant-available sulphur in different soil layers in autumn varied from 1.98 mg kg^-1 to 2.63 mg kg^-1 in variants that were not fertilised with sulphur. 9.71 mg kg^-1 of plant-available sulphur was determined in 0-30 cm soil layer of the plots fertilised with 65 kg ha^-1 sulphur fertilisation rate. Higher content (14.30 mg kg^-1) of plant-available sulphur was determined in plots of variants where 130 kg ha^-1 sulphur rate was applied. Content of plant available sulphur in autumn in 0-30 cm soil layer of plots fertilised with the highest rate of sulphur was 1.7 times higher when compared to the sulphur content in soil in spring. Content of plant available sulphur in lower (31-60, 61-90 cm) soil layers of the same plots was 4.84 and 4.75 times higher when compared to the plots not fertilised with sulphur.

Conclusions. The evidence of the current research suggests that regular application of sulphur-containing granular superphosphate fertiliser had a significant effect on sulphur content in 0-30, 31-60,61-90 cm layers of sandy loam Cambisols.

References

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