Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641003.
The balance sheet of sulphur worked out in soils showed net negative balance of 60, 54 and 68 kg total S ha−1 for sorghum (Co 25), rice (IR 50) and sugarcane (CoC 671), respectively from the non-sulphur applied plots. But the depletions were found to reduce to lower values where sulphur was applied in the form of either elemental sulphur (ES) basally or ammonium phosphate sulphate (APS) basally or ammonium sulphate (AS) top dressing. The losses of total sulphur were the highest in the soils of sugarcane > rice > sorghum and among the sulphur carriers, the losses were in the order of AS > ES > APS. The study emphasised the need for sulphur application to each crop to replenish the depletion of sulphur through various means and to sustain the sulphur fertility of soils.
Sulphur balance, elemental sulphur, total sulphur, sulphur carriers
