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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Impact of nutrient management practices on sulphur availability in soils under rice-wheat cropping system

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12571
Submitted
3 November 2025
Published
05-05-2026

Abstract

A study was carried out to understand the impact of different nutrient management practices on soil sulphur (S) fractions under rice–wheat cropping system (RWCS) in the Indo-Gangetic Plains. Soils from 6 sites representing integrated nutrient management (IntNM) and exclusive inorganic nutrient management (InoNM) practices in Punjab (PB), Haryana (HR) and Uttar Pradesh (UP) were evaluated for water-soluble sulphur (WSS), organic sulphur (OS), available S (CaCl2-extractable S), sulphur availability index (SAI) and organic carbon-organic sulphur (SOC:OS) ratio across three soil depths (0–15, 15–30 and 30–60 cm) using standard protocols. Results showed that InoNM maintained higher WSS with maximum values at 0–15 cm depth under PB-InoNM (17.0 mg kg-1), while IntNM enhanced OS, attaining 235 mg kg-1 under HR-IntNM. Available S was highest under PB-InoNM (14.8 mg kg-1 at surface) and SAI values were also elevated under IntNM (6.42 in HR-IntNM), indicating improved sulphur release potential. The SOC:OS ratio ranged from 22.1 to 42.4, with high values under UP-IntNM at surface indicating improved sequestration of sulphur. These results underscore the superior performance of IntNM, combining farmyard manure (FYM) with chemical fertilisers, in improving OS, SOC and SAI, particularly in surface soils. The IntNM also resulted in higher SOC:OS ratio, indicating sustained sulphur release and improved soil health in RWCS.

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