Effect of Elemental Sulphur on Calcium Uptake and Translocation in Maize Grown in a High pH soil of Malaysia

Introduction:Acidification of high pH soils by elemental sulphur application is introduced for increasing plant nutrient availability and improving plant performance. The present study was aimed to elucidate the effect of elemental sulphur timing and application rates on soil Ca release, Ca concentration in maize and its relationship with maize yield. Materials and Methods:Bintang Series soil was treated with four rates of elemental sulphur (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g S kg-1 soil) and incubated for 0, 20, and 40 days before maize plantation. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with factorial arrangement and carried out in University Putra Malaysia. Soil samples were provided before and after the maize plantation and were extracted for nutrient analysis. The nutrients in the solution were determined by an inductively coupled plasma spectrometer. Results and Discussion: The results exhibited that application of elemental sulphur significantly decreased soil pH and it increased soil Ca, Mn and Zn availability for plants. In addition, the results showed that soil acidification by elemental sulphur decreased Ca concentration in maize root, stem and leaves and it is due to the antagonistic effects of Mn and Zn on Ca uptake by maize. Conclusion: Overall, the maximum maize performance was obtained at Ca concentration of 0.75, 1 and 1.4 percent in maize leaves, stem and roots, respectively.