Sulphur concentration of soils and plants and its requirement for ruminants in the Inner Mongolia steppe of China

Abstract

The sulphur status of four soils and 122 forage plants from the Inner Mongolia steppe was determined. The organic sulphur concentration ranged from 17 lg g ±1 in the 0á2±0á4 m soil layer to 397 lg g ±1 in the topsoil. The mean sulphate-S concentrations were <10 lg g ±1 ; greater concentrations were found only in the chernozem soil. Biomass-S accounted for 0á018±0á028 of total S in four soils. Three-quarters of plant samples examined had <1á6 g kg ±1 S, and >0á80 of them had an N:S ratio >14:1. More than 0á80 of the plants were de®cient in S. There was a close relationship between plant-available soil sulphur concentrations and total plant sulphur concentrations. It was concluded that sulphur de®ciency is widespread in the Inner Mongolia steppe and that sulphur fertilizer requirements should be evaluated.

Changes in Ca, Fe, Mg, Mo, Na, and S content in a Mediterranean shrubland under warming and drought

“…S leaf concentrations observed in this experiment (0.65–1.65 mg g −1 ) are in the range of the values reported in the literature [ Peñuelas et al , 1997; Tyler , 2005]. The observed total soil S concentrations observed in this study (700–900 mg kg −1 ) were higher than the values reported in the literature for most soils (188–550 mg kg −1 ) [ Tabatabai and Bremmer , 1972; Wang et al , 2001].…”

Grazing effects on soil chemical and physical properties in a semiarid steppe of Inner Mongolia (P.R. China)

“…Solomon et al (2005) opted to focus on soil S, as this main nutrient may be essential for plant nutrition in sensitive ecosystems such as grasslands. Wang et al (2001) concluded that sulphur deficiency is widespread in the Inner Mongolia steppe, affecting productivity.…”

Effects of sulphur supply on the morphology of shoots and roots of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

“…Soil An S-deficient top soil (0-20 cm) was collected in August 2000 from the Inner Mongolia Grassland Ecosystem Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is located at 43°26¢-44°08¢N, 116°04¢-117°05 ¢ E and is mostly more than 1000 m above sea level (Wang et al, 2001). The soil is a chestnut soil (Chinese classification) and Cacic-orthic Aridisol in the Soil Taxonomy classification system respectively.…”

“…S deficiency is widespread with more than 0AE80 of the forage plants being deficient in S in this region (Wang et al, 2001(Wang et al, , 2002. S deficiency is widespread with more than 0AE80 of the forage plants being deficient in S in this region (Wang et al, 2001(Wang et al, , 2002.…”