Summary
The S : N ratio of the current foliage of two commonly planted conifers, Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) was determined for areas known to have unpolluted atmospheres. The mean values of the ratio (0.034 and 0.028 respectively) were used to compare similar foliage from a) an industrialised area, and b) a series of transects radiating from a brickworks chimney. The established ratios were used to predict foliar S concentrations and the greater amounts found were ascribed to foliar absorption of atmospheric S. The ‘excess’ S was negatively related to distance from the supposed source, and also to needle weight which itself was positively related to distance. It is concluded that this measure derived from the S : N ratio is theoretically and practically a more sensitive indicator of the accumulation of S in conifer foliage exposed to atmospheric pollution than the analysis for elemental S or the SO4-ion alone. re]19751115
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Department of Forestry and Natural Resources University of Edinburgh
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Malcolm, D.C., Garforth, M.F. The sulphur: Nitrogen ratio of conifer foliage in relation to atmospheric pollution with sulphur dioxide. Plant Soil 47, 89–102 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010371
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010371