Abstract

Laboratory experiments were carried out at the Agricultural College and Research Institute, Madurai during the year 2011 to evaluate the releasing pattern, adsorption and desorption behaviour of inorganic sulphur alone and in combination with organics in soil samples collected from farmer’s field in Sivagangai district, Tamil Nadu. The results revealed that the rate of release of sulphur was increased upto 40 DAI and beyond which it got declined. At higher levels of sulphur, the amount of sulphur released was higher as compared to lower levels. Among the organics, the rate of release of sulphur was higher in vermicompost added treatment upto 50 DAI beyond which the amount of sulphur released was higher in press mud. Similarly, the adsorption of added sulphur was found to be higher in the treatment that has not received any one of the organic manures and the percentage of desorption of adsorbed sulphur was higher in the manurial treatments. The adsorption data were fitted well with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm as compared to the Freundlich isotherm.

Keywords: Sulphur, Organics, Releasing Pattern, Sorption.