Abstract
The effect of repeated (NH4)2SO4 applications (3 × 700 kg ha−1 in 1988, 1991, and 1994, respectively) on S pools in soil, soil microbial biomass, and ground vegetation was studied at two Norway spruce (Picea abies L. [Karst.]) sites in the Black Forest/Germany. In both eco-systems, most of the total S pool was located in the soil. The soil also was the predominant compartment for retention of applied SO4 2--S. The fractions of organic and inorganic S forms in the initial soil S content, and the retention of experimentally applied S was different for both sites. In the podzol Schluchsee, organic S accounted for 92% of total S. In the cambisol Villingen, the S pool consisted of 33% organic S and 67% inorganic S. The retention of applied S in various compartments of both ecosystems reflected these proportions. Only minor amounts of fertilized S (<1%) was retained in the spruce trees, ground vegetation, and soil microbial biomass. However, between 51% (Villingen) and 72% (Schluchsee) of the applied S was retained in the soil. In the Schluchsee podzol, 75% of retained fertilizer S was accumulated as ester sulfate, whereas SO4 2-adsorption and precipitation of Al hydroxy sulfates were restricted by dissolved organic matter in the soil solution. In the Villingen cambisol, SO4 2- adsorption was the dominant process of S retention, although 20% of the fertilized S again was retained as ester sulfate. The significant relevance of organic S forms in the retention of fertilizer S in both soils emphasizes the need for models which include the formation and re-mineralization of organic S compounds, especially of ester sulfates, for correctly simulating and predicting the retention and remobilization of S in acid forest soils subject to changing atmospheric N and S deposition.
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Prietzel, J., Weick, C., Korintenberg, J. et al. Effects of repeated (NH4)2SO4 application on sulfur pools in soil, soil microbial biomass, and ground vegetation of two watersheds in the Black Forest/Germany. Plant and Soil 230, 287–305 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010362316906
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010362316906