Influence of sulfur and nitrogen fertilzer on the uptake of iron,manganese, and zinc by corn plants grown in calcareous soil |
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| Abstract: | Abstract A pot experiment was conducted with a coarse‐textured calcareous soil (pH‐H2O 8.3) to study the effect of single and combined application of N and S fertilizers on soil pH, Fe, Mn, Zn, and P mobilization, and on growth and micronutrient uptake by com (Zea mays L.). Increasing amounts of elemental sulfur were mixed with the soil. To stimulate S oxidation, the treated soils were incubated for six weeks at field capacity. Nitrogen was applied as NH4NO3 (100, 200, and 400 mg N/kg). After six weeks, dry matter yields were recorded and shoots were analyzed for Fe, Mn, Zn, and P. At the end of the experiment, soil pH and the DTPA‐extractable micronutrients were determined. The results showed that: a. Soil pH was decreased by 0.2, 0.5, and 0.9 unit as a result of increasing S applications. b. Applied sulfur and N fertilizer had increased the availability of micronutrients to following crops. c. Application of N and/or S resulted in increased dry matter yields. d. Manganese uptake tended to be higher as amounts of N applied increased; this was most evident at the higher S application rates. This effect was, however, reversed for Fe, Zn, and P uptake. e. Under our experimental conditions, promising results were achieved on improving micronutrient availability and uptake when 400 mg N/kg was combined with 3 g S/kg. |
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