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Behavior of Sulfate Sulfur and Elemental Sulfur in Three California Soils in Lysimeters¹

ABSTRACT

Three soils from diverse climatic regions of California were placed in free-draining lysimeters, and sulfur was applied as gypsum, fine elemental S (particles <0.1 mm), or pelleted elemental S (0.5 to 0.9 mm in diameter), at the rate of 56 kg S/ha (1,135 mg S per lysimeter). All S fertilizers were tagged with radioactive S. Sulfur uptake by soft chess (Bromus mollis), and S in leachate, and in runoff was measured. Recovery of S by the plant was greater in the fine elemental S treatment than in the gypsum treatment on the two soils where the loss of gypsum S by leaching was greater. Concentrations of S in the leachate were generally highest in the gypsum treatment in the first year after treatment. Timewise, concentrations were generally highest when the first percolate of the rainy season came through the soil. From 80 to 90% of the applied gypsum S, about 50% of the fine elemental S, and 10 to 15% of the pelleted elemental S was accounted for in a 4-year period. Most of the gypsum S was accounted for in the first year. In contrast, most elemental S was recovered in subsequent years. Willits loam held gypsum S against leaching much better than did soils of the "Hebron" or Sehorn series, and the uptake of gypsum S was higher from Willits soil than from the other two soils.

¹ Contribution of the Agronomy Department, University of California, Davis. This work was supported in part by a grant from The Sulphur Institute. Presented at Div. S-4, Soil Science Society of America, November 1967, Washington, D.C.

² Associate Agronomist, University of California, Hopland Field Station, Hopland; Extension Soils Specialist, University of California, Davis; Professor and Agronomist, University of California, Davis, respectively.

Received for publication November 30, 1967. Accepted for publication March 26, 1968.