Response of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) to fertilizer nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur, and their effect on the removal of soil sulphur

Abstract. Between 1981 and 1987 field experiments were made on loam and sandy loam soils to test the effects of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur fertilizers on the yield and quality of linseed, and the uptake of S by the crop. In one experiment, all through the six years, the application of fertilizers up to 60 kg N, 40 kg P₂O₅ and 30 kg S ha^-1 increased yields. In the second experiment, the same combination of N, P and S maximized crop yield, uptake of P and S, % oil and oil production. These balanced and optimum rates of fertilizers decreased the percentage of stearic, oleic and linoleic acids but increased that of linolenic acid by accelerating the metabolic pathway of linolenic acid synthesis. Applying P decreased the removal of native S in the soil but when more S was applied, more native S was taken up. Large dressings of P diminished crop yield and quality as well as the availability of native soil S.