Distribution of Forms of Sulphur in Six Soil Profiles of North-East India

Vertical distribution of total, organic, sulphate and non-sulphate forms of sulphur was studied in six profiles from different agro-climatic soil zones of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Total and organic forms of sulphur, in general, showed a decline with depth, whereas non-sulphate sulphur increased with depth. In the grey brown podzolic soils organic sulphur constituted the dominant form of sulphur in the surface horizon and non-sulphate sulphur in the sub-surface horizons. In arid brown and tropical arid brown soils, generally non-sulphate sulphur was present in excess of 50 per cent of total sulphur throughout the soil profile. Sulphate sulphur constituted a very small fraction of total sulphur.