386-4 Corn Production Response to Sulfur in the Mid-Atlantic Region.



Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Hall C, Street Level

Solomon Kariuki1, Joshua McGrath1 and Gregory Binford2, (1)Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
(2)University of Delaware, Newark, DE
Recently, sulfur (S) deficiencies have been reported globally in crops associated with decreased S deposition due to air pollution control measures, increased crop yields and decreased agronomic S inputs. In the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., anecdotal evidence indicates that this is indeed the case. We conducted a field study over six site-years (2010 – 2011, three sites each year) on silty and sandy loam soils, to determine if corn responded to sulfur application. Five rates (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 kg ha-1) replicated 4 times were applied using three methods; pre-plant, sidedress, and split between pre-plant and sidedress in a complete randomized block design. Yield and tissue S concentration responses were measured. In addition, common soil S extractions were evaluated on the basis of their ability to predict S need.
See more from this Division: S08 Nutrient Management & Soil & Plant Analysis
See more from this Session: Soil and Plant Analysis: Tools for Improved Nutrient Management II