Effect of Different Sources of Sulphur on Sulphur Fractions in a Calcareous Soil

Abstract

An incubation experiment was conducted to study the S release pattern by different S sources and grades. The bulk soils were collected from the Esanai village which has deficient in sulphur. The treatments were replicated thrice in completely randomized design. Treatment details are Ammonium sulphate, Single Super Phosphate, Gypsum were the three sources of sulphur applied at the intervals of 0, 20, 40 kg S ha-1 along with the recommended dose of N, P and K.  Destructive soil sampling was carried out at 15, 30, 60, 90 days after incubation and analyzed for S fractions as per standard procedures to understand the effect of S sources and S dynamics in those areas. Soil samples were analysed for sulphur fraction i.e. Water soluble sulphur fraction, Exchangeable sulphur fraction, CaCl2extractable sulphur fraction, Occuled sulphur fraction, Organic sulphur fraction and Total sulphur fraction. The soil sulphur fractions were arranged in the order of occluded sulphur > water soluble sulphur > exchangeable sulphur > CaCl2 extractable sulphur > organic sulphur. The results emerged out in this experiment indicate that that application of sulphur in the form of Ammonium Sulphate @ 40 kg S ha-1 was found to be applied for better release of available sulphur. The zero fertilization led to decline in the levels of all the forms of sulphur as compared to rest of treatments.