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Factors affecting the oxidation of elemental sulfur in soils

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Abstract

The use of elemental sulfur (S0) to alleviate widespread S deficiencies in agricultural soils is limited by the unpredictability of its oxidation to plant available sulfate. Here we review the biological, fertilizer and soil-related factors that control S0 oxidation. Sulfur oxidation in soil is mediated primarily by microorganisms, and thus it is the size, composition and activity of the microbial community which dictate oxidation rates. Because S0 oxidation is a biological process, it is strongly influenced by factors directly affecting microbial activity including soil temperature, water potential, and aeration. In many soils these factors represent the primary constraints to S0 oxidation. Oxidation is also influenced by the effective surface area of the S exposed to microbial activity. Thus oxidation is favored by reducing the particle size and abundant populations of heterotrophic bacteria and fungi capable of oxidizing S0, thus the availability of organic substrates from residue additions or root exudates may also affect S oxidation. Previous application of S0 may increase oxidation rates in many soils, presumably by stimulating S0 oxidizing populations. The large number of factors that govern S0 oxidation account for the variability in oxidation rates among soils, climatic regions, and agronomic practices. Many of these factors are subject to agronomic control, however, and it should be possible to devise S fertilizer strategies that exploit the slow release characteristics of S0 to meet crop demands efficiently in a variety of conditions.

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  1. Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, S7N 0W0, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    J. J. Germida

  2. Agriculture Canada Research Station, T1J 4B1, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

    H. H. Janzen

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Germida, J.J., Janzen, H.H. Factors affecting the oxidation of elemental sulfur in soils. Fertilizer Research 35, 101–114 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00750224

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