Author(s):

HD Chaudhari, JR Jat, S Kumar, JK Malav, RP Pavaya and JK Patel

Abstract: A study was undertaken to delineate the status of different forms of sulphur for which one hundred forty surface soil samples (0-15 cm) from various groundnut growing fields (Ten samples from each taluka) of Banaskantha were collected during May, 2018 by using multistage stratified random sampling. The groundnut growing soils of study area had the major part of their sulphur content in non sulphate sulphur (59.01 per cent) and followed by organic sulphur (34.16 per cent) and sulphate sulphur (6.84 per cent) of the total sulphur. The mean value of total sulphur, organic sulphur, sulphate sulphur, non sulphate sulphur, heat soluble sulphur and water soluble sulphur of the study area were to the tune of 145.72, 49.79, 9.98, 86.06, 12.32 and 7.35 mg kg^‑1, respectively. All the forms of sulphur were positive correlated with EC, organic carbon, available phosphorous, available potassium, clay and silt content. But, it was negatively correlated with sand and pH except organic–S. Thus, indicating that these soil properties played a major role in availability of sulphur content. The different forms of sulphur were correlated positively with each other, except non sulphate sulphur which was negatively correlated with organic sulphur, sulphate sulphur and water soluble sulphur. On the basis of sulphate fraction, 69.3 per cent of the soil samples were found deficient. The present study indicates that groundnut growing soils in Banaskantha district of Gujarat are deficient in available sulphur and thus, calls for sound integrated fertility management programme for better groundnut production in the district.

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