Malhi, S.S.

Nyborg, M.

Solberg, E.D.

English

eCommons@USASK

Influence of formulation of elemental S fertilizer on yield, quality, and S uptake of canola seed

University of Saskatchewan Research Archive

 Influence of formulation of elemental S fertilizer on yield, quality and S uptake of canola seed   S. S. Malhi1, E. D. Solberg2 and M. Nyborg3 1Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1240, Melfort, Saskatchewan S0E 1A0; 2Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, Edmonton, Alberta; and 3Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta  BACKGROUND • Plants use only the sulphate form of S.  • Now, there are many commercial fertilizers that contain S in elemental form and effectiveness of these fertilizers depends on the rate at which S is oxidized to sulphate-S in soil for plant uptake.  • Rate of S oxidation in elemental S fertilizers to plant available sulphate-S depends on factors that affect microbial activity such as soil moisture, temperature, aeration and size of fertilizer granules.   • Deficiency of S in canola can be readily or effectively prevented or eliminated by applying sulphate-S fertilizers.  • In a number of field studies, canola has been found to produce lower seed yield with elemental S fertilizers than with sulphate-S fertilizers on S-deficient soils, particularly in the first year of application and especially with spring application at seeding time.  • In most of the previous studies, granular elemental S and sulphate-S fertilizers were used.  • There is little information on the influence of formulation of elemental S on seed yield and S uptake of canola in the Parkland region of western Canada, where canola is a major cash crop and many agricultural soils are deficient or potentially deficient in plant-available S for optimum seed yield.   OBJECTIVE • The objective of this study was to determine the influence of formulation of elemental S fertilizers on yield, oil, protein and S concentration, S uptake, percent recovery of applied S and N uptake in seed of canola grown on S-deficient soils.  MATERIALS AND METHODS • Three field experiments were conducted on S-deficient Gray and Dark Gray Luvisol soils (Typic Cryoboralf) in Saskatchewan and Alberta in 2000 and 2001.  • Experiment 1 was conducted in 2000 and 2001, and same treatment was imposed on a given plot in both years. Experiment 2 was carried out in 2000 near Legal, Alberta.  • In Experiments 1 and 2, treatments included five elemental S fertilizers (ES-99 granular, ES-95 granular, ES-90 granular, Biosul-90 granular, and Biosul-50 suspension), a sulphate-S fertilizer (potassium sulphate) and a zero-S control. • Experiment 3 was conducted near Canwood, Saskatchewan, and had eight elemental S fertilizers (ES-99 granular, ES-95 granular, ES-90 granular, Biosul-90 granular, Biosul-50 suspension, Lab fine ES-99.5 powder, ES Settle-47 powder and ES SPB571-85.8 powder), a granular fertilizer containing 21.7 % elemental S and 18.7% sulphate-S (Agrium Plus), a granular fertilizer blend of ES-90 and ammonium sulphate (1:1), a sulphate-S fertilizer (ammonium sulphate) and a zero-S control.  • ES-99 granular and ES Settle-47 powder were obtained from Shell Global Solution, ES-95 granular from Fernz SulFer Inc., ES-90 granular from Tiger Industries, Biosul-90 granular and Biosul-50 suspension from New Paradigms, ES SPB571-85.8 powder from Alberta Research Council, and Agrium Plus from Agrium.  • Each treatment was replicated four times in a randomized complete block design. All plots received a blanket annual application of N, P and K fertilizers 3-5 days prior to seeding in spring, and were tilled once to incorporate the fertilizers into the soil.  • Crop canola (Brassica napus L. cv. A4573 at Porcupine Plain, and cv. Invigor 2663 at Legal and Canwood) was seeded in mid to late May at a seed rate of 9 kg ha-1. • The S fertilizers were surface-broadcast or sprayed at 15 and 30 kg S ha-1 rates within 2-3 days after sowing in spring.  • Data were recorded on yield, concentration of oil, protein and S, and uptake of S and N in seed.   RESULTS • Canola plants in the zero-S treatment showed S deficiency in the growing season, and seed yield increased with sulphate-S fertilizer by 21.8, 1.4, and 3.6 times in Experiment 1, 2, and 3, respectively.  • There was little effect of S fertilizer on protein concentration in seed. Biosul-50 suspension in all experiments and powder forms of elemental S fertilizers, used only in Experiment 3, were almost as effective as sulphate-S fertilizers.  • In all experiments, granular elemental S fertilizers had no or only very small effect on seed yield, S uptake, % recovery of applied S, N uptake, oil concentration, S concentration and protein concentration of canola seed in first year of application.  • In second year of Experiment 1, granular elemental S fertilizers tended to increase seed yield, S uptake, N uptake, oil concentration, and S concentration of canola seed, but none of them produced seed yield or improved other parameters of canola seed comparable to the sulphate-S and elemental S powder or suspension fertilizers.      CONCLUSIONS  • Seed yield, N uptake and S uptake of canola seed were very low in the absence of S fertilization on S-deficient soils.   • There was a marked increase in seed yield, N uptake and S uptake with granular sulphate-S and suspension or powder elemental S fertilizers.  • Increase in seed yield, N uptake and S uptake with increasing rate of S application was dependent on the severity of S deficiency.  • Granular elemental S fertilizers were not effective in correcting S deficiency in canola in the first year of application.  • Even after two annual applications in Experiment 1, seed yield, N uptake, S uptake, % recovery of applied S and oil concentration in canola seed on S-deficient soils were much less with granular elemental S fertilizers compared to the sulphate-S fertilizers indicating that granular elemental S fertilizers corrected S deficiency partially only.  • Seed yield, N uptake, S uptake and % recovery of applied S in canola seed with surface application of suspension and powder formulations of elemental S fertilizers were similar to sulphate-S fertilizer, and were more than granular S elemental S fertilizers.  • The findings demonstrate that on S-deficient soils granular elemental S fertilizers are less effective in increasing seed yield and quality of canola than sulphate-S fertilizer, but S deficiency in canola can be prevented by broadcast/spread surface-application of elemental S fertilizers that contain S particles in suspension or powder formulation producing seed yield comparable to sulphate-S fertilizer.  • Dispersion of elemental S particles from granular elemental S fertilizers in soil to enhance microbial oxidation of elemental S particles to sulphate-S in soil was considered as the major problem for lack of effectiveness of granular S fertilizers.  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • The authors thank New Paradigm (Gas Processing), Calgary, Alberta for financial assistance, and Z. Zhang, D. Leach, K. Fidyk and K. Falk-Hemstad for technical help.             Figure 1. Seed yield of canola from various S fertilizers applied at two rates (15 and 30 kg S ha-1) at Porcupine Plain (Experiment 1) and Legal (Experiment 2) in 2000 (averaged across the two S rates).    Figure 2. Nitrogen uptake in canola seed from various S fertilizers applied at two rates (15 and 30 kg S ha-1) at Porcupine Plain (Experiment 1) and Legal (Experiment 2) in 2000 (averaged across the two S rates). 015030045060075090010501200135015001650180019502100P Plain P Plain Legal2000 2001 2000Seed yield (kg ha-1)Zero-S controlES-99 ES-90ES-95Potassium SulphateBiosul-50 Biosul-90 0510152025303540455055606570758085P Plain P Plain Legal2000 2001 2000Uptake of N (kg N ha-1)Zero-S controlES-99 ES-90ES-95Potassium SulphateBiosul-50 Biosul-90  Figure 3. Recovery of applied S fertilizer in canola seed  from various S fertilizers applied at two rates (15 and 30 kg S ha-1) at Porcupine Plain (Experiment 1) and Legal (Experiment 2) in 2000 (averaged across the two S rates).     Figure 4. Seed yield of canola from various S fertilizers applied at two rates (15 and 30 kg S ha-1) at Canwood (Experiment 3) in Northwestern Saskatchewan in 2001 (averaged across the two S rates).  0246810121416P Plain P Plain Legal2000 2001 2000Recovery of applied S (%)ES-99 ES-90ES-95Potassium SulphateBiosul-50 Biosul-90 5001000150020002500300035004000Seed yield (kg ha-1)Zero-S control Ammonium sulphate Biosul-50 suspensionBiosul-90 granular Agrium Plus granular ES-99 granularLab fine ES-99.5 powder ES-95 granular ES SPB571-85.8 powderES settle-47 powder ES-90 granular ES-90 + AS granular Figure 5. Nitrogen uptake in  canola seed from various S fertilizers applied at two rates (15 and 30 kg S ha-1) at Canwood (Experiment 3) in Northwestern Saskatchewan in 2001 (averaged across the two S rates).   Figure 6. Recovery of applied S in canola seed  from various S fertilizers applied at two rates (15 and 30 kg S ha-1) at Canwood (Experiment 3) in Northwestern Saskatchewan in 2001 (averaged across the two S rates).  102030405060708090100110120130140Uptake of N (kg N ha-1)Zero-S control Ammonium sulphate Biosul-50 suspension Biosul-90 granularAgrium Plus granular ES-99 granular Lab fine ES-99.5 powder ES-95 granularES SPB571-85.8 powder ES settle-47 powder ES-90 granular ES-90 + AS granular01020304050607080Recovery of applied S (%)Ammonium sulphate Biosul-50 suspension Biosul-90 granular Agrium Plus granularES-99 granular Lab fine ES-99.5 powder ES-95 granular ES SPB571-85.8 powderES settle-47 powder ES-90 granular ES-90 + AS granular

https://harvest.usask.ca/bitstream/10388/9465/1/S.S.%20Malhi%20et%20al.%2c%202006a.pdf

Influence of formulation of elemental S fertilizer on yield, quality, and S uptake of canola seed

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