SULPHUR CONTENT OF SEEDS AND SEED WEIGHT IN RELATION TO EFFECTS OF SULPHUR DEFICIENCY ON GROWTH OF SUNFLOWER PLANTS

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Abstract
An attempt was made to secure greater effects of S deficiency on the growth of sunflower plants by using the seed of plants grown to maturity with a minus-sulfur nutrient soln. Control plants were grown to maturity with a complete nutrient soln. The minus-sulfur and plus-sulfur seed and also the original seed used in producing these 2 lots were used to study the effects of S deficiency and seed wt. on the growth of the plants. The minus-S seed were much smaller than the plus-S, but their S % was the same. The plus-S seed were smaller than the originals. They contained more S on a % basis but less per seed. S deficiency reduced the size of the plants produced by the minus-S seed somewhat more than it did that of the plants developing from the plus-S seed. The small minus-S seed germinated as well as the larger plus-S and the originals. The plants developing from the minus-S seed were smaller than those produced from the plus-S, but larger relative to the size of the seed. Although the plus-S seed were smaller than the originals, they produced larger plants than did the latter. The top-root ratios indicated that size of seed affected the roots more than the tops and that S deficiency affected the tops more than the roots. The greater seed reserves, S and other compounds, accounted mainly for the larger plants produced by the plus-S seed in comparison with the minus-S and the originals. Competition among plants may have been also a factor accounting partly for the results obtained.

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