Abstract

                                A field experiment was conducted to study S response of rice-peans cropping system with graded doses of S i.e. 0, 15, 30 and 45 kg ha applied in the form of SSP to rice crop. The peanut was grown as residual crop. The results of the experiment laid on a sulphur deficient (7 ppm 0.15% CaCl, extractable S) alluvial soil in Niali block of Cuttack district showed that application of S at 30 kg ha produced the highest yield of 34.3 q ha of rice grain and 21.8 q ha of peanut pod. Rice yield was 9 per cent higher and the peanut yield was 31 per cent higher than the yield recorded in control (no sulphur) treatment. Total biomass production from rice-peanut cropping sequence varied between 148.2 and 173.6 q ha. There was 17 per cent increase in biomass production due to application of 30 kg S ha. Both the crops removed 184.4 to 233.4 kg N, 20.9 to 28.6 kg P, 171 to 213 kg K, 95.8 to 127.2 kg Ca and 16.7 to 22.4 kg of S ha from soil. Highest amount of all the test nutrients were removed when both the crops received S at 30 kg ha'. At this rate of S application the recovery of N, P and K by the crops were 61, 29 and 54 per cent, respectively. The apparent S recovery (19%), shelling (57.3%) oil content (49.7%) oil yield (567 kg ha) agronomic efficiency (50.0) and value cost ratio (43.0) were the highest at this rate of S application. This suggest that 30 kg S ha in the form of single super phosphate to be the best for rice-peanut cropping system.

Key words : S deficient soil, Graded dose of S, Single super phosphate, Apparent nutrient recovery, Agronomic efficiency and Value cost ratio.