Predicting plant sulfur deficiency in soils: results from Ohio

We developed a model for plant available sulfur (S) in Ohio soils to predict potential crop plant S deficiency. The model includes inputs of plant available S due to atmospheric deposition and mineralization of soil organic S and output due to leaching. A leaching index was computed using data on annual precipitation; soil pH and clay content that influence sulfate adsorption; and pore water velocity based upon percent sand, silt, and clay. There are five categories of S status ranging from highly deficient to highly sufficient, and the categories are defined based on whether the crop S requirement was 15 or 30kg S ha⁻¹ year⁻¹. The final database derived from the model includes 1,473 soil samples representing 443 of the 475 soil series in Ohio. For a crop requiring 15kg S ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, most soils (68.6%) were classified as variably deficient, which implies that the response to S fertilization will be variable but often positive depending on specific crop conditions. For a crop requiring 30kg S ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, 43.2% of soils were classified as variably deficient, but 49.7% were classified as moderately or highly deficient, implying that a response to S fertilization will usually or always occur. The model predicts crop S status for a single state in the USA, but with proper inputs, it should be applicable to other areas.