The effect of sulphur fertilisation on yield and technological parameters of spring wheat grain

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to estimate the effect of elementary sulphur and of other sulphur fertilisers on the yield and qualitative parameters of spring wheat. This topic was studied in the form of a pot trial in a vegetation hall in 2003. Each pot was filled with 6 kg of a mixture of fluvisoil and sand, pH 6.9; content of available P 83; K 103 (with additional fertilising to 171); Ca 2058; Mg 184; total water-soluble sulphur 22 and sulphur sulphate 18 mg kg-1. The following variants were applied in the trial: 1. Control. 2. Elementary sulphur applied into the soil. 3. Ammonium sulphate. 4. Pregips H gypsum. 5. Foliar application of elementary sulphur. Basic fertilisation consisted of an application of 0.61 g of nitrogen and 0.24 g of sulphur per pot, with the exception of the last variant, where two foliar doses of elementary sulphur were applied, i.e. 0.026 and 0.019 g of S per pot in DC 31 DC 57, respectively. The results were evaluated by means of variance analysis, and Tukey’s test was used for subsequent tests of significance of differences among the variants. The results of the one-year vegetation pot trial where various fertilisers containing sulphur were applied to spring wheat can be summarised as follows: Applications of elementary sulphur resulted in the highest grain yields; In the variant where elementary sulphur was applied to the soil the uptake of nitrogen by the grain was the highest and the exploitation of nitrogenous fertilisers was the best; The content of sulphur in the grain as the requirement for good baking quality was insufficient and the best results were achieved after foliar application of elementary sulphur; Compared to the standard, the content of nitrogenous substances was low, and was the highest in the variant where Pregips H gypsum was applied; The falling number was above 400 s signalising a low specific volume of bakery products and a dry and crumbly crumb; Applications of ammonium sulphate gave the best results in terms of the 1000-grain weight and proportion of grain over 2.5 mm on the sieve; The application of elementary sulphur into the soil did not reduce the soil pH and after harvest provided the highest supply of available sulphur in the soil.