HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Elseewi, A. A. Articles by Bingham, F. T. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Elseewi, A. A. Articles by Bingham, F. T. Agricola Articles by Elseewi, A. A. Articles by Bingham, F. T.

Availability of Sulfur in Sewage Sludge to Plants: A Comparative Study¹

ABSTRACT

Alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.), white clover (Trifolium repens L.), and turnip (Brassica rapa L.) were grown on calcareous and acid soils low in available sulfur amended with sewage sludge and gypsum (CaSO₄-2H₂O) at rates equivalent to 0 and 80 ppm S for alfalfa and 0, 25, 50, and 100 ppm S for white clover and turnip. The availability of S from the two sources was evaluated through measurements of yield, total-S concentration in the plant tissue, S uptake expressed in mg/pot, S recovery, and SO₄-S concentration in the soil. Addition of either sludge or gypsum corrected the S deficiency in the plants and significantly increased the dry matter yields. Improvements in yields were associated with increased S concentrations in the plant from deficiency levels (0.010 to 0.088%) to levels 0.2%. The average ratio of total S concentration in the sludge-treated plants to that in the gypsum-treated plants was 0.83, and the average S uptake and S recovery ratios were 1.09 and 0.95, respectively, indicating comparable availability of S in the two sources. Initial concentrations of NH₄-OAc-extractable SO₄-S in the soil were increased twofold to sevenfold by application of sludge to the soil. The ratio of post-harvest SO₄-S in sludge- and gypsum-treated soils ranged from 0.39 to 2.27 with a mean of 0.95. The results demonstrate that sewage sludge is a potential source of available S to plants.

Key Words: land disposal • nutrient availability • soil amendment • turnip • white clover • alfalfa • gypsum

¹ Contribution of the Dep. of Soil and Environ. Sci., and the Kearney Foundation of Soil Sci., Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521.

² Postdoctoral Research Scientist, and Professors of Soil Sci., respectively.

Received for publication July 2, 1977.