Sulphur Deficiencies at Country Level |
In the early 1990s, S deficiencies in Indian soils were estimated to occur in about 130 districts Recently, soil fertility surveys by the ICAR system based on the analysis of 60,000 soil samples have shown S deficiencies to be a widespread problem. This is shown below (A soil is considered deficient in S if it tests less than 10 mg S/kg soil extractable with 0.15% CaCl2). A = 45% districts having more than 40% soil samples deficient in S |
 Distribution of 240 districts according to the extent of sulphur deficiency. |
Soil analysis and crop response data generated by the TSI-FAI-IFA project (1997-2006) further re-enforce the findings of the ICAR system. Based on reported results, out of over 49,000 soil samples analysed across 18 states, 46% samples were deficient in S and another 30% were medium in available S which could be considered as potentially S deficient. Soil sulphur deficiencies were encountered in all parts of the country These data prove that S deficiencies are a critical problem in 40-45% of districts translating into 57-64 million ha of net sown area. For a district level picture of the extent of S deficiencies, ...Click here for more
Major Reasons for S Deficiency in India |
Several factors contribute to the growing incidence of S deficiency in India. These are related to a high level of cropping intensity in irrigated areas, a wide gap between the addition and removal of S, a large acreage under pulses and oilseeds which require more S per unit crop produced but are not as intensively fertilised as irrigated cereals and a fertilizer use pattern which is dominated by S free fertilizers such as urea, DAP and MOP. ...Click here for more
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