Sulfur and Nitrogen Requirements of Sugarcane1

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Abstract
The internal S requirement of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is not well defined and there are no published data on the external SO4‐S requirements. The objectives of this study was to provide this kind of information, and to provide data on sulfur distribution and N:S ratios in sugarcane.Sugarcane was grown in solution cultures and in potted soil material which provided several concentrations and ratios of NO3 and SO4 in solution. External S and N requirements were estimated from plots of yield vs. SO4 or NO3 concentrations in solution cultures and in artificial soil solutions. The external S requirement at age 35 days was about 9 ppm. After 70 days the requirement was about 5 ppm when N was adequately supplied. The external NO3 requirement was about 50 ppm N. The internal S requirement for early growth was 0.36% S in the whole plant and 0.24% for leaf blades 3 through 6. When plants were 70 days old, 0.10% S in leaf blades or 0.08% S in leaf sheaths was sufficient. Sulfur‐deficient, field‐grown sugarcane 18 months old contained 0.075% S in leaves 3 through 6 and 0.072% S in the corresponding leaf sheaths. Sulfur fertilized sugar cane contained 0.138% and 0.232% for the same tissues. Ratios N:S differed for various tissues of the same plant. Distribution of S in the plant may be a valuable tool for assessing the S status of sugarcane. When S is deficient, old leaf blades contain more S than corresponding leaf sheaths, and blades and sheaths of leaves 3 to 6 contain about equal concentrations of S. Good S nutrition was associated with an elevated concentration of S in leaf sheaths as compared with leaf blades.
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