Corn yield and quality as related to sulfur accretion on Tennessee soils

The effects of sulfur (S) fertilization and atmospheric S inputs upon extractable soil S and corn yield and S concentration were investigated in nine location-years of experimentation conducted from 1980-82 at three locations within Tennessee: Ames Plantation, Grant Junction; The Tobacco Experiment Station, Greeneville; and the Plant Science Field Laboratory, Knoxville. At each location S (as K₂S0₄) was applied at rates of 0, 17, and 34 kg*ha⁻¹ in a replicated, randomized complete block design. The influence of S fertilization, years, and locations on grain yield, nutrient concentration of both leaf and grain samples, and soil extractable S and pH was evaluated for the data combined across years with locations nested within years. Additionally, wet/dry deposition of atmospheric S was monitored at each location throughout the study. The analysis of data indicated that yield and S concentration of leaf and grain tissue was uninfluenced by S fertilization, suggesting that S was not limiting for corn yield in this experiment. Additionally, S fertilization and years had no ffect on extractable soil S while locations within years significantly ffected this value. The soil at Knoxville was considerably lower in extractable S than soils at either Grand Junction or Greeneville and therefore had a greater potential for S deficiency during the course of this study. An average of 16 kg*ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ of S was contributed to these cropping systems via wet/dry deposition. It is likely that atmospheric input may be compensating for the S removed as harvested grain and lost by leaching, thus preventing a corn response to S fertilization at these locations.