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Effect of sulphur fertilization on grain yield and yieldcomponents of winter wheatMalle Järvan a , Liina Edesi a & Ando Adamson aa Department of Plant Sciences , Estonian Research Institute of Agriculture , Saku ,EstoniaPublished online: 28 Nov 2011.

To cite this article: Malle Järvan , Liina Edesi & Ando Adamson (2012) Effect of sulphur fertilization on grain yield andyield components of winter wheat, Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B — Soil & Plant Science, 62:5, 401-409, DOI:10.1080/09064710.2011.630677

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Effect of sulphur fertilization on grain yield and yield components ofwinter wheat

MALLE JARVAN, LIINA EDESI & ANDO ADAMSON

Department of Plant Sciences, Estonian Research Institute of Agriculture, Saku, Estonia

AbstractThe effect of sulphur application on winter wheat yield and yield components on two different soils in northern Estonia andsouthern Estonia during 2004�2009 was investigated. Sulphur was applied with NS-fertilizer Axan or Axan Super at therate of S 10 or 13.6 kg ha�1 accompanied with nitrogen background of N 100 kg ha�1, which effect was compared to effectof ammonium nitrate at the same rate of N. The rates of fertilizers were divided into two portions and applied at the growthstages 21�22 and 25�30. The effect of sulphur fertilization on the formation of wheat yield varied on a quite large scaledepending on soil and weather conditions of trial locations. The yield components were closely related: when onecomponent was changed, the other components sometimes compensated for grain yield.

Sulphur deficiency symptoms appeared on the break-stony soil at Saku in a somewhat stronger form than on thepseudopodzolic soil at Auksi. The results of field trials conducted at Saku during the four years can be summarized asfollows: the application of sulphur increased the number of ears per unit area by an average of 14.0% and the number ofgrains per ear by an average of 18.6%. At the same time, sulphur decreased the 1000-grain weight. As a final result, sulphurapplication on break-stony soil increased the wheat yield by 1.16 t ha�1 on average, i.e. by 23.0%. Sulphur application intrials conducted on pseudopodzolic soil at Auksi during years with different weather conditions in growing season provedhighly effective in three of five trials. As an average of all trials in Auksi, the sulphur application increased the number of earsper unit area and the number of grains per ear by 23.9% and 7.7%, respectively. The grain yield increased under theinfluence of sulphur on the average of all trials conducted on pseudopodzolic soil by 1.25 t ha�1, i.e. by 22.4%.

Keywords: Ear number per m2, grains per ear, 1000-grain weight, Triticum aestivum.

Introduction

In the last decades it has often been noted that

regardless of an intensive fertilizer application the

yields of winter cereals and the effectiveness of

nitrogen fertilizer have remained lower than ex-

pected. In many cases this has been a result of

sulphur deficiency (Scherer 2001, Ryant 2002,

Jarvan and Adamson 2004, Salvagiotti and Miralles

2007, Mars 2009). Decreasing sulphur deposition

from the air, and the use of more concentrated

phosphate fertilizers that contain less sulphur, have

led to reports of sulphur deficiencies in winter wheat.

Sulphur deficiency significantly affects the produc-

tion and quality of winter wheat (Zhao et al. 1999,

McGrath 2003, Jarvan et al. 2009a).

Sulphur (S) is one of the essential nutrients for

crop growth, which is linked to nitrogen (N) in many

physiological functions (Marschner 1997, Salvagiotti

and Miralles 2007). Without adequate sulphur,

crops can not reach their full potential in terms of

yield.

Grain yield of cereals is a product of three yield

components: the number of ears per unit area, the

number of grains per ear and individual grain weight

(Bavec et al. 2002). Ontogenetically, ear number is

the first yield component to be fixed, and, thus,

assumes particular importance. Although grain

number per ear and grain weight can somewhat

compensate for deficient ear population, they cannot

adequately make up for yield. Ear number is thus

often positively correlated with grain yield. When

one of the components is changed, the other

components sometimes compensate for it, resulting

in a minimum grain yield change (Bavec et al. 2002).

Correspondence: M. Jarvan, Estonian Research Institute of Agriculture, Teaduse St. 13, EE75501 Saku, Estonia. E-mail: malle.jarvan@eria.ee

Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B � Soil and Plant Science, 2012; 62: 401�409

(Received 4 July 2011; revised 6 October 2011; accepted 6 October 2011)

ISSN 0906-4710 print/ISSN 1651-1913 online # 2012 Taylor & Francis

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09064710.2011.630677

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Investigations have shown that the yield of wheat

and some of the yield components significantly

respond to the application of sulphur fertilizer (Inal

et al. 2003, Khan et al. 2003, Girma et al. 2005).

Several greenhouse and field studies have shown that

sulphur affects primarily the number of grains per

ear. Other yield components, such as the number of

tillers and 1000-grain weight, are less affected by

sulphur availability unless the deficiency is severe

(Zhao et al. 1999). Haneklaus et al. (1995) found

that severe sulphur deficiency occurring during the

very early growth stages of winter cereals caused an

irreversible reduction of generative yield compo-

nents, and the grain yield was significantly reduced

if no sulphur was applied. Such severe disorder could

only be counterbalanced by sulphur fertilization prior

to tillering (Haneklaus et al. 1995). The nutritional

status of sulphur had the strongest effect on the

number of grains per ear. Cereal plants obviously

retain the number of interflorescence bearing culms

at the expense of grain setting under conditions of

sulphur deficiency (Haneklaus et al. 2007).

Several studies (Jarvan and Adamson 2005, Jarvan

et al. 2009a, Salvagiotti et al. 2009) have shown that

sulphur fertilization may increase the efficiency of

nitrogen use. The effect of sulphur addition had

relevance when nitrogen was not a limiting factor,

showing a positive interaction between these two

nutrients on crop growth, reflected in higher nitro-

gen use efficiency (Salvagiotti and Miralles 2008).

In different soil and climatic conditions of Estonia

four field trials with 10 different treatments were

carried out to establish the optimum N : S

ratio for winter wheat top dressing (Jarvan and

Adamson 2005). On the nitrogen background

N 60�40 kg ha�1 the sulphur rates varied from

2 to 26 kg ha�1. Without sulphur the effectiveness of

nitrogen fertilization remained low. Sulphur applied

at the rates from 4 to 16 kg S ha�1 with nitrogen

increased the chlorophyll content in wheat leaves,

number of productive tillers per plant, number of

grains per ear, and the grain yield by 29�60% (Jarvan

and Adamson 2005, Adamson and Jarvan 2006).

Sulphur was particularly effective when it was applied

with nitrogen in the first topdressing (Jarvan et al.

2009b). According to the field trial results, it is

recommended in soil and climatic conditions of

Estonia to apply to winter wheat 1 kg sulphur with

each 10 kg nitrogen (Edesi et al. 2007). Planning our

further studies, since 2006, was based on the fact that

for the winter wheat top dressing 10 to 14 kg sulphur

per hectare is sufficient.

The aim of this research was to identify the impact

of sulphur fertilization on the yield and yield

components of winter wheat in two locations with

different soil and climatic conditions in Estonia.

Materials and methods

The field trials were conducted in 2004, 2005, 2007

and 2008 at Saku in northern Estonia (598 18?N,

248 39?E) and in 2004�2006 and 2009 at Auksi in

southern Estonia (588 27?N, 258 36?E). The trial soils

and their agrochemical properties were the following:

in Saku, break-stony soil � Calcaric Cambisol (FAO�UNESCO 1994), pH (1:5 1 M KCl) 6.6�7.2, Corg

1.9�2.3%, P 90�116 mg kg�1 (by Egner-Riehm, DL

method), K 168�206 mg kg�1 (DL), Ca 2040�2320

mg kg�1 (by Egner-Riehm-Domingo, A-L method),

Mg 52�87 mg kg�1 (A-L); in Auksi, pseudopodzolic

soil � Podzoluvisol (FAO�UNESCO 1994), pHKCl

6.1�6.4, Corg 2.0�2.2%, P 89�102, K 156�203, Ca

1350�1560, Mg 81�110 mg kg�1. The content of

water-soluble S (ISO 11048) at the beginning of

vegetation season determined by using ICP (wave

length 181.975 nm) was the following: at Saku 8�10

mg kg�1, and at Auksi S 6�12 mg kg�1.

In previous autumn under the wheat sowing with

the complex fertilizer the plant nutrients at the

following rates were applied: in 2007 and 2008 at

Saku � N12 P26 K50 S15 kg ha�1; in 2006 and 2009

at Auksi � N12 P26 K75 S9 kg ha�1. In field trials of

2004 and 2005 to wheat in previous autumn mineral

fertilizers were not given because the phosphorus

and potassium contents were sufficient.

The trials were performed with winter wheat

(Triticum aestivum L.) variety ‘Lars’, except in 2009

when the variety ‘Ada’ was sown at Auksi. Red clover

as preceding crop and green manure to wheat was

grown in trials at Saku and, in 2005, at Auksi. In the

other trials at Auksi, wheat was preceded by spring

barley, oilseed rape or grassland.

The effect of sulphur as plant nutrient on winter

wheat in field trials was investigated on the nitrogen

background of N 100 kg ha�1 that was applied

broadcast as a solid topdressing divided into two

portions: N 60 kg ha�1 at the beginning of tillering

and N 40 kg ha�1 at the end of tillering, i.e. at

growth stages 21�22 and 25�30, respectively (ac-

cording to Zadocks et al. 1974). The dates of

fertilizer application (Table I) within years somewhat

differed because due to the weather conditions the

wheat plants passed the growth stages with different

time. Two fertilizer variants were compared � N

(control) and NS. In the N-treatment ammonium

nitrate at the rate N100 was used. In the NS-

treatment the same nitrogen rate was applied with

Axan or Axan Super. These granulated fertilizers

contained N 27% (N-NO3 13.5% and N-NH4

13.5%) and water-soluble sulphate-S 2.7 or 3.7%.

In the NS-treatment sulphur (S) at the rate 10�13.6 kg ha�1 was given. Most of the trials included

also a non-fertilized 0-treatment � a so-called field

402 M. Jarvan et al.

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background. The field trials were performed on 25

m2 trial plots in four replications.

In trial areas, a relevant plant protection practice

was carried out in case of need. Chemical weed control

was done with the following herbicides: 2004 in

Saku and Auksi � Mustang (at the rate 0.4 l ha�1);

2005 and 2006 in Auksi � Granstar (15 g ha�1)�Primus (50 ml ha�1); 2009 in Auksi � MCPA

(1 l ha�1)�Compass (0.3 l ha�1). There was no

need for weed control in 2005, 2007 and 2008 in field

trials at Saku. A preventive plant-disease control

became necessary only in some cases and it was

performed with the following fungicides: 2007 and

2008 in Saku �Tango Super (at the rate 1.0 l ha�1); in

Auksi 2005 � Rombus 250EC (0.6 l ha�1) and 2009 �Allegro Super (0.3 l ha�1)�Folicur (0.3 l ha�1).

At the maturity stage of wheat, before harvest with

a combine harvester, sheaves were taken from the

area of 0.25 m2. From these sheaves the yield

components as number of ears per m2, number of

grains per ear and 1000-grain weight were measured.

The ears from sheaves were cut by hand, counted,

and recalculated on the m2 area. The ears were dried

in textile bags. All the grains of each sample were

rubbed out, winnowed, counted by Numigral, and

weighed by scales Kern KB 1200-2. The average

number of grains formed per ear and thousand-grain

weight were calculated. Yields from trial plots were

harvested with a combine harvester, dried, sorted

and calculated to 86% dry matter (DM).

On the Auksi-Lapi Farm, on winter wheat fields

with different soil fertility and preceding crops, two

production trials were conducted in 2006. In trial

2006-I, winter wheat was preceded by spring barley.

Soil’s agrochemical properties were as follows:

pHKCl 5.6, Corg 2.0, P 81, K 140, Ca 1160, Mg

113 mg kg�1 and water-soluble S 8 mg kg�1. In trial

2006-II, field grass fallow was used as a preceding

crop. Soil’s pHKCl was 6.0, Corg 2.5, P 211, K 214,

Ca 1470, Mg 128 mg kg�1 and water-soluble S 11

mg kg�1. In autumn, prior to winter wheat sowing,

N12 P26 K75 S9 kg ha�1 was applied with a complex

fertilizer. In the topdressing the effect of ammonium

nitrate (N-treatment) and Axan Super (NS-treat-

ment) were compared. In two topdressings nitrogen

was applied in total 75 kg ha�1. A third fertilization

that had been originally planned for the stage of stem

elongation to improve the quality of yield, was not

performed due to an extraordinarily long drought

period. The production trials were harvested with a

combine harvester. The yields for both production

field’s trial variants were calculated after grain drying

and sorting from the areas of 2 ha. Prior to harvest-

ing, sheaves from both treatments in four replica-

tions were taken to determine the yield components.

All results were based on four replicates. The means

were calculated for each variant and the Tukey�Kramer honestly significant difference (HSD) test

was used to determine the differences between the

means (JMP 5.0.1 software; SAS Institute, Cary, NC).

The results of present investigations are dependent

on soil and climatic conditions in the trial location.

Weather conditions during the growing period in

both locations are represented in Figure 1. In Saku,

the air temperature and precipitation were registered

by using meteorological equipment placed on the

field trials area. In the case of the trials in Auksi, the

meteorological data from Viljandi meteorological

station were used. The weather conditions varied

depending on the given site and year.

In Saku the growing season of 2004 remained

cooler than in other years. Extraordinarily low air

temperatures in early spring appeared in April, when

the average monthly temperature was only 0.0 8C. A

relatively cold weather in the growing season also

dominated in 2008. In terms of precipitation, the

growing seasons of 2004, 2005 and 2008 can be

evaluated as having common characteristics � from

April to the end of August 305�376 mm of rainfall

were registered. In 2007, the weather in Saku was

extraordinarily dry.

Weather conditions on the field trials area at Auksi

were as follows: 2004 � dry spring with more air

temperature fluctuations than usual; 2005 � normal

growing season but with high rainfall at the wheat

maturity stage; 2006 � the warmest and most arid

growing season of the trial years; 2009 � low

precipitation in spring and high rainfall from June

to August.

Table I. The fertilizer application dates.

Saku Auksi

Year 1st treatment 2nd treatment 1st treatment 2nd treatment

2004 23/04 12/05 20/04 13/05

2005 2/05 20/05 23/04 18/05

2006 - - 23/04 24/05

2007 17/04 10/05 - -

2008 15/04 10/05 - -

2009 - - 23/04 18/05

Effect of sulphur fertilization on grain yield 403

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Results and discussion

The effect of sulphur fertilization on the formation

of winter wheat yield appeared differently�depending on location, weather conditions during

the growing period, and also on some other factors.

The role of yield components varied on quite a

large scale among years and places.

The field trials in Saku on break-stony soil

In the field trials with winter wheat conducted in

2004�2008 the most serious deficiency of sulphur

appeared in 2004. That year, the early spring up to

the middle of April was very cold with a diurnal

temperature of about �6 8C. After that a rapid

warming up to 11 8C occurred. The wheat plants

which had had a normal overwintering started to

grow intensively. At first there could not be observed

any differences in green colour of wheat leaves at the

N- and NS-treated trial plots, but the situation

changed by the end of the tillering phase. The

younger wheat leaves on the plots fertilized only

with nitrogen started quickly to get a bright green or

yellowish green colour. It means that the plants

Figure 1. Diurnal mean air temperature and precipitation during the growing seasons 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 at Saku and 2004, 2005,

2006 and 2009 at Auksi.

404 M. Jarvan et al.

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suffered from sulphur deficiency, which intensified

and the symptoms of which persisted for a long time.

The chlorophyll content in wheat leaves (an

average of 30 plants from each plot) during different

growth stages (GS) were measured with Minolta-

SPAD. The average chlorophyll contents (SPAD-

units) of treatments were as follows: in GS 30

(25 May) � without fertilizer � 30.9, N100 � 32.2,

and N100 S10 � 36.2; in GS 32 (3 June) � 37.1, 33.8

and 50.8, respectively; in GS 41 (17 June) � 40.5,

34.5 and 53.0, respectively (Jarvan and Adamson

2005). A drastic decrease in chlorophyll content of

leaves is a typical feature of sulphur deficiency

(Burke et al. 1986).

A severe sulphur deficiency in that year had

probably developed due to cold and rainless weather

in early spring. In such conditions the release of

sulphur from the soil?s organic matter is inhibited

(Jarvan 2008). Secondly, in the previous autumn a

complex fertilizer, which usually contains also sul-

phur, had not been applied to wheat. The trial’s soil

had a high fertility because the phosphorus and

potassium contents in soil were high and red clover’s

abundant biomass had been ploughed in.

Sulphur deficiency had a significant influence on

the yield and yield components of wheat (Table II).

Under sulphur deficiency-grown winter wheat ferti-

lization with nitrogen (at the rate 60�40 kg N

ha�1) had very low efficiency, increasing the grain

yield no more than 0.29 t ha�1, i.e. 9.2% in 2004,

and 0.50 t ha�1, i.e. 10.9% in 2005.

The fertilization with sulphur was very effective in

2004, increasing the number of ears per m2 by

15.8% and the number of grains per ear by 36.9%,

but, at the same time, decreasing the 1000-grain

weight by 8.5%. Thus, the grain yield harvested with

a combine harvester increased under influence of

sulphur by 1.48 t ha�1, i.e. 43.0%. The most

important role in such an increase of grain yield

was performed by the number of grains per ear, as

one of the yield components. Also the investigations

of Haneklaus et al. (1995) had shown that sulphur

treatment effects on wheat yield were closely asso-

ciated with effects on the number of grains per ear.

In 2005, there occurred no equally acute symp-

toms of sulphur deficiency on the wheat trial plots

than the year before. The early spring of 2005 was

warmer and with a more uniform precipitation.

These conditions favoured a release of available

sulphur from soil reserves (Adamson and Jarvan

2006). This can be regarded as the reason why the

sulphur application remained of lower effect than in

the previous year. In the conditions of 2005, the

application of sulphur at the rate S 10 kg ha�1

increased the grain yield by 0.80 t ha�1, i.e. by

15.7%. When the N-fertilization did not increase the

number of productive tillers per unit area and the

number of grains per ear, the NS-fertilization

increased these yield components by 19.3 and

Table II. The effect of N and NS fertilization on yield and yield components of winter wheat on break-stony soil at Saku (n �4).

Year/Yield components

Grain yield

fertilization, kg ha�1 Number of ears per m2 Number of grains per ear 1000-grain weight, g t ha �1

2004

Without fertilizer 296b 25.4b 45.2b 3.15b

N100 304b 26.0b 46.0a 3.44b

N100 S10 352a 35.6a 42.1c 4.92a

2005

Without fertilizer 324a 34.8b 42.2b 4.58c

N100 332a 33.4b 48.7a 5.08b

N100 S10 396b 38.0a 40.7c 5.88a

2007

Without fertilizer 352b 22.9b 47.3b 3.47b

N100 524a 26.8a 49.0a 5.66a

N100 S13.6 558a 28.5a 44.8c 5.92a

2008

Without fertilizer 377c 20.4c 45.0b 3.44c

N100 518b 27.2b 51.3a 7.20b

N100 S13.6 593a 32.0a 49.3a 9.26a

Different letters in the same column indicate significant difference at pB0.05.

Effect of sulphur fertilization on grain yield 405

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13.8%, respectively. A significant increase in both of

these components created a good assumption for a

high grain yield. But an extraordinary long dry

period which lasted one and a half months destroyed

these expectations. A major decline in the 1000-

grain weight occurred. A great number of grains

which in the NS-treatment were formed failed to fill

normally, and, as the result, the 1000-grain weight in

this treatment was 16.4% lower than in the N-

treatment. Incidentally, several researchers (Zhao

et al. 1999, Khan et al. 2003) have found that

application of sulphur fertilizers may actually de-

crease 1000-grain weight of wheat. Also in the

studies of Inal et al. (2003) it was found that the

1000-grain weight of the wheat variety belonging to

Triticum aestivum L. responded negatively to sulphur

fertilization.

In the field trial conditions of 2007, sulphur

application on winter wheat was unsuccessful.

Although under the influence of sulphur a tendency

to an increase of the number of ears per unit area and

of the number of grains per ear became evident, at

the same time a significant decrease of the 1000-

grain weight occurred. There could have been

several reasons why the sulphur application had

low efficiency. Firstly, unlike previous years, the

sulphur containing complex fertilizer was applied in

the last autumn during the winter wheat sowing in

quantities of S 15 kg ha�1. If sulphur from soil is not

leaching out during the winter, then it should

provide a sufficient amount of sulphur to form a

relatively high yield. Probably another reason was

that the growing season of wheat in 2007 was a very

dry one. From April to the middle of July the total

rainfall was only 57.7 mm, i.e. only 28% of the

normal rate.

In comparison to the unfertilized plots the top-

dressing of wheat in the N-treatment with

high-soluble ammonium nitrate at the rate N

60�40 kg ha�1 increased all wheat yield compo-

nents, i.e. the number of ears per unit area, the

number of grains per ear and the 1000-grain weight,

and, as a final result, the grain yield increased by

2.19 t ha�1, i.e. 63%. In the NS-treatment, the same

amount of nitrogen with more slowly soluble granu-

lated fertilizer Axan Super was applied. Due to a lack

of precipitation, the wheat plants could not comple-

tely absorb the nutrients of this fertilizer.

In early spring of 2008 the weather conditions

were favourable for a rapid growth of the wheat

plants. Already in the beginning of April the air

temperature rose above �5 8C and there was

sufficient moisture in the soil. The topdressing

favoured formation of productive tillers on trial plots

of both treatments. The number of productive tillers

per unit area in the N-treatment ranked by 37.7%

higher and in the NS-treatment by 57.3% higher

than in the unfertilized trial plots. The topdressing

increased also other wheat yield components. The

number of grains per ear increased in the N-

treatment by 33.3% and in the NS-treatment by

56.9%. The 1000-grain weight increased by 14.0

and 9.6%, respectively. In case of NS-treatment the

number of ears per m2 was 14.5% higher and the

number of grains per ear 17.6% higher than those in

the case of N-treatment. As a final result, the sulphur

application increased the grain yield by 2.06 t ha�1,

i.e. 28.6%.

The results of the four-year field trials with winter

wheat conducted on break-stony soil in Saku can be

summarized as follows: in all trials the application of

sulphur proved to increase the number of ears per

unit area (on the average 14.0%) and the number of

grains per ear (on the average 18.6%). At the same

time, each time the sulphur application decreased

the 1000-grain weight (on average 9.4%). In this

regard our research results were analogous to the

investigations of Haneklaus et al. (1995) and Zhao

et al. (1999) who have asserted that the effect of

sulphur fertilization on the number of grains per ear

was greater than that on the other yield components.

The results of research carried out in 2004�2008 in

Saku showed that sulphur fertilization at the rate

10�13.6 kg S per hectare increased the winter wheat

yield by an average of 23.0%.

The field trials in Auksi on pseudopodzolic soil

In 2004, the sulphur application on winter wheat

favoured the formation of productive tillers at Auksi

somewhat more than that in Saku. In NS-treated

trial plots on average 512 earbearing culms per m2

were formed, which was 33.3% more than in the

case of N-treatment (Table III). On the other hand,

the application of sulphur failed to significantly

increase the number of grains per ear, because it

was fairly high (more than 35) even in the case of N-

treatment. During the growth stages of wheat flower-

ing and grain embryo development, an extraordinary

high rainfall occurred that possibly affected a normal

growth and development of wheat plants. Compared

with unfertilized variant, the topdressing with NS-

fertilizer increased the 1000-grain weight by 1.9 g.

The application of sulphur at the rate of S 10 kg

ha�1 as a combined effect of yield component

changes increased the grain yield by 1.89 t ha�1

i.e. 42.7%.

In the field trial conditions of 2005, the sulphur

application had an analogous influence on the

formation and development of productive tillers as

in 2004. The number of ears per unit area increased

by 30.0%. Neither N- nor NS-fertilizer treatments

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had any effect on the number of grains per ear, which

was equally about 36 grains per ear across all trial

variants. In this trial surprisingly great differences in

the 1000-grain weights occurred. Namely, in the

case of NS-treatment, the wheat grains were smaller

than in the case of N-treatment. Since a significant

lack of precipitation dominated in this growing

period, the moisture in soil during the grain-filling

growth stage evidently remained insufficient. In

drought conditions there was not enough moisture

to allow all wheat grains, formed abundantly by high

plant density under the influence of the NS-treat-

ment, to grow heavier. In the weather conditions of

the given year, the fertilization of winter wheat with

nitrogen at the rate N 60� 40 kg ha�1 increased the

grain yield by 2.76 t ha�1, i.e. 81.7%. Sulphur as

supplement to nitrogen at the rate S 10 kg ha�1 had

no effect on grain yield.

In 2006, the effect of sulphur application on

winter wheat in the conditions of production fields

was investigated. In the trial 2006-I, soil fertility was

lower and the preceding crop was not as suitable as

in the trial 2006-II. On the field trial 2006-I, where

wheat was preceded by spring barley, the growth

density of wheat on the nitrogen background

(N 75 kg ha�1) was on average 331 ears per m2.

Sulphur application at the rate of 10 kg S per hectare

increased the number of ears up to 413 per m2, i.e.

24.8%. At the same time, sulphur increased the

1000-grain weight by 12.8% but had no statistically

significant effect on the number of grains per ear that

remained unexpectedly low in comparison to pre-

vious years. Wheeler et al. (2000) found that the

potential number of grains can reduce in the event of

a short episode of high temperature around flower-

ing. A temperature of 27 8C or higher can result in a

high number of sterile grains. Although the effect of

reduced grain numbers on the final yield could be

compensated for during grain filling by the produc-

tion of larger grains, the yield losses could be still

high (Wheeler et al. 1996). Air temperatures around

the time of wheat flowering in 2006 in Auksi often

were high � at midday up to 33 8C. Probably for that

reason grain formation was inhibited. It appeared

more evident in the trial 2006-I soil conditions than

in the trial 2006-II that was conducted on a more

fertile soil. As a final result, the application of

sulphur on production field 2006-I increased the

winter wheat yield by 1.35 t ha�1, i.e. 39.8%.

The soil fertility was higher in production field

trial 2006-II, therefore wheat plants were able to

form more productive tillers and, subsequently,

more ears per unit area than usually. While the

nitrogen fertilization at the rate N 75 kg ha�1

resulted in 480 ears per m2, the NS-fertilizer

application resulted in 636 ears per m2. There was,

Table III. The effect of N and NS fertilization on yield and yield components of winter wheat on pseudopodzolic soil at Auksi (n �4).

Year/Yield components

Grain yield

fertilization, kg ha�1 Number of ears per m2 Number of grains per ear 1000-grain weight, g t ha�1

2004

Without fertilizer 352b 26.7b 33.7b 2.96c

N100 384b 35.4a 34.6ab 4.43b

N100 S10 512a 37.7a 35.6a 6.32a

2005

Without fertilizer 240c 36.0a 42.3b 3.38b

N100 360b 35.9a 51.7a 6.14a

N100 S10 468a 36.4a 42.5b 6.63a

2006-I

N75 331b 27.9a 36.6b 3.39b

N75 S10 413a 29.7a 41.3a 4.74a

2006-II

N75 480b 30.1b 37.8a 5.36b

N75 S10 636a 34.4a 36.6b 7.80a

2009

N50 544b 30.1a 40.4a 7.08b

N100 740a 28.5a 40.2a 8.56a

N100 S13.6 732a 31.3a 37.4b 8.65a

Different letters in the same column indicate significant difference at pB0.05.

Effect of sulphur fertilization on grain yield 407

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consequently, an increase of 32.5% in the number of

ears that were induced from sulphur application.

Sulphur acccompanied with nitrogen increased also

the number of grains per ear by 14.3%, but, at the

same time, slightly decreased the 1000-grain weight.

The grain yield harvested with a combine harvester

on NS-treated field area was 2.44 t ha�1, i.e. 45.5%

higher than on the same size of N-treated area.

In 2009, winter wheat was preceded by high-

yielding oilseed rape. Its harvest residues left in soil

an abundant amounts of plant nutrients, sulphur

among them. In the previous autumn under the

wheat with the complex fertilizer also sulphur was

given at the rate of S 9 kg ha�1. Therefore in the

field trial conditions of 2009, the sulphur application

revealed no significant effect on either yield compo-

nents or on grain yield. That year, all trial treatments

resulted in higher yields than usually.

Among the five trials conducted on pseudopodzo-

lic soils in southern Estonia carried out in order to

evaluate the effect of sulphur fertilization on winter

wheat yield and yield components, no positive results

were reached in two cases. Also other researchers

(Girma et al. 2005) have found that although a

significant increase in grain yield due to applied

sulphur could be observed, the response was spora-

dic and unpredictable from one year to the next.

As an average of all trials at Auksi in 2004�2009,

the sulphur application increased the number of ears

per unit area and the number of grains per ear by

23.9% and 7.7%, respectively. The grain yield

increased under the influence of sulphur on the

average of all trials conducted on pseudopodzolic soil

by 1.25 t ha�1, i.e. by 22.4%.

Comparing the results of field trials conducted in

conditions of one and the same year on different soils

allows drawing the conclusion that sulphur defi-

ciency appeared much more notably on break-stony

soil than on pseudopodzolic soil. Visual symptoms of

acute sulphur deficiency of winter wheat grown on

break-stony soil in Saku appeared both in 2003 and

2004 (Jarvan and Adamson 2004). There appeared

no visible sulphur-deficiency symptoms in the field

trials on pseudopodzolic soil at Auksi. The efficiency

of nitrogen fertilization in Saku due to sulphur

deficiency was very low � in the field trial conditions

of 2004 and 2005 on average only 3.95 kg of grain

per 1 kg of fertilizer N was obtained. At the same

time, in the field trials conducted in 2004 and 2005

at Auksi, 1 kg fertilizer N compensated for the

average 21.1 kg grain. An occurrence of sulphur

deficiency on different levels might be caused, first of

all, by different pH and calcium content of soils.

pHKCl of the break-stony soil at Saku was 6.8�7.2,

and Ca content higher than 2300 mg kg�1 while in

the pseudopodzolic soil at Auksi pHKCl was 6.1�6.2

and Ca content lower than 1500 mg kg�1. As is well

known, there are antagonistic relationships predo-

minating between calcium and sulphur in soil.

When calcium content and pH of soil are too high,

a release of sulphur from soil organic compounds

may be hindered and the plants can not take up

sulphur in sufficient amounts (Jarvan 2008). Mengel

and Kirkby (1987) have mentioned that adsorption

strength for sulphate decreases as the soil pH

increases.

The effect of sulphur application on winter wheat

at the rate of S 10 kg ha�1 was similar in both

locations with different soils. In 2004 and 2005, 1 kg

of fertilizer S applied in the field trials on break-stony

soil at Saku and on pseudopodzolic soil at Auksi

compensated for 114 and 119 kg grain on the

average, respectively. As an average of all field trials

carried out in northern Estonia and southern Estonia

during 2004�2009, 1 kg sulphur applied to winter

wheat as topdressing on a background of

N 100 kg ha 1 compensated for 111 kg grain.

Acknowledgements

Financial support from the Estonian Ministry of

Agriculture through the project ‘‘Improving the food

and feed quality of cereals, grain legumes and oil

crops by implementing economically effective and

environmentally sustainable agrotechnical methods’’

(2006�2010) is much appreciated. The authors are

grateful to Helena Parenson for linguistic revision.

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