Effect of Sulphur Fertilization on the Chemical Composition and Nutrient Uptake by Legumes

In pot experiments with groundnut, application of NPK with a dose of 200 lb of sulphur as CaSO₄,2H₂O resulted in about 50 per cent increase in yield over the control. The amount of sulphur containing amino-acids such as methionine and cysteic acid, cysteine-cystine increased on fertilization with sulphur. The application of nitrogen alone depressed the oil content and produced more proteins whereas the application of sulphur alone decreased the protein content and increased the oil content. The application of S, P and N increased both the yield and the protein content of berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum). The uptake of nutrients N, P and K by legumes is also increased by the application of sulphur resulting in an increase in the nutritive value of this important fodder crop.