Relationships of Forms and Availability Indices of Sulphur with Properties of Soils of Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

A significant positive correlation was obtained between organic S and total S (r=0.97**), total water soluble S and sulphate (r=0.79**) as well as heat soluble-S (r=0.71**), and heat soluble Sand sulphate-S (r=0.70**) in 13 representative surface soils of acid Alfisols of Kangra district suggesting an interrelated dynamic equilibrium among all forms of S. Step-wise correlations revealed that by and large free CaCO₃, OC, pH and CEC effected large variations in the S availability indices (49–71%) and its forms (86–88%). In these soils C:N, N:S and C:N:S ratios ranged from 9.3:1 to 15.6:1, 69.4:1 to 91.7:1, 5.0:1 to 9.2:1 and 100:6.4:1.28 to 100:10.8:1.18, respectively.