Summary
Sulphur and nitrogen on a gram atom basis occur in organic forms inP. radiata foliage and seeds in a ratio of 0.030 and this is the same as the S:N in the proteins present in the organic material. The ratio is in close agreement with the ratio found by many workers for legumes and gramineous plants. The ratio was found to be constant for a very large number of samples collected over a wide geographic area of south-eastern Australia; for samples collected over a number of years from on and off ash-bed sites; for samples collected at different times of the year; for samples from various parts of the tree crown; and for whole seeds, seed coats and the fleshy part of seeds ofP. radiata.
If total-N is known, organic-S is given by 0.030xtotal-N. This is the level of S actually required for the complete constitution of the plant material. If S is present in excess of this basic requirement, then sulphate-S is present and S is probably adequate. If total-S is not grater than organic-S, then a true S deficiency probably exists. Data on sulphur alone are not enough to assess the status of plants since the amount required is proportional not to the weight of the foliage but to the amount of organic nitrogenous substance to which the S contributes in a fixed proportion.
In theP. radiata samples studied, there was no accumulation of nitrogen over that required to balance the organic-S present and hence it appears that nitrogen is only taken up at the rate at which sulphur is available and protein formation will be limited to the availability of nitrogen.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, C. A. and Sheard, R. W., Alterations in the nitrogen metabolism ofMedicago sativa andDactylis glomerata as influenced by potassium and sulphur nutrition. Can. J. Plant Sci.46, 671–680 (1966).
Anderson, A. J., The significance of sulphur deficiency in Australian soils. J. Australian Inst. Agr. Sci.18, 135–139 (1952).
Bremner, J. M., Determination of nitrogen in soil by the Kjeldahl method. J. Agr. Sci.55, 11–33 (1960).
C.S.I.R.O. Division of Soils, A turbidimetric method for sulphur in pine needles. Tech. Memo 33 (1966).
Dijkshoorn, W., Lampe, J. E. M. and Van Burg, P. F. J., A method of diagnosing the sulphur nutrition status of herbage. Plant and Soil13, 227–241 (1960).
Dijkshoorn, W. and Van Wijk, A. L., The sulphur requirements of plants as evidenced by the sulphur-nitrogen ratio in the organic matter. A review of published data. Plant and Soil26, 129–157 (1967).
Hall, M. J. and Raupach, M., Foliage analyses and growth response inPinus radiata (D. Don) showing potassium deficiencies in eastern Victoria. Appita17, 76–84 (1963).
Humphreys, F. R. and Lambert, M. J., An examination of a forest site which has exhibited the ash-bed effect. Australian J. Soil Research3, 81–94 (1965).
Humphreys, F. R., Turner, J. and Watt, A. J., Annual nutrient variation inPinus radiata (D. Don) over a period of nine years (1972). (In press).
Mortensen, W. P., Baker, A. S. and Dermanis, P., Sulphur deficiency of orchardgrass in western Washington. Sulphur Inst. J.4, 9–11 (1968).
Rendig, V. V., Sulphur and nitrogen composition of fertilised and unfertilised alfalfa grown on a sulphur deficient soil. Soil. Sci. Soc. Am. Proc.20, 237–240 (1956).
Stanford, G. and Jordan, H. V., Sulphur requirements of sugar, fiber and oil crops. Soil Sci.101, 258–266 (1966).
Stewart, B. A. and Porter, L. K., Nitrogen-sulphur relationships in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), corn (Zea mays) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). Agron. J.61, 267–271 (1969).
Terrey, D. R., An automatic absorptiometric method for the determination of nitrate. Anal. Chim. Acta34, 41–45 (1966).
Wood, J. G. and Barrien, B. S., Studies on the sulphur metabolism of plants. I. New Phytol.38, 125–149 (1939).
Wood, J. G. and Barrien, B. S., Studies on the sulphur metabolism of plants. III. On changes in amounts of protein sulphur and sulphate sulphur during starvation. New Phytol.38, 265–272 (1939).
Will, G. M., Radiata pine needles with age and position in tree crown. New Zealand J. Sci. Technol B.38, 699–706 (1957).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kelly, J., Lambert, M.J. The relationship between sulphur and nitrogen in the foliage ofPinus radiata . Plant Soil 37, 395–407 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02139982
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02139982