Effect of sulfur and composted manure on SO4-S,P and micronutrient availability in a calcareous saline–sodic soil

A factorial design with different levels of elemental S and cow manure was used to investigate the effects of S and manure on SO₄-S, P and micronutrient availability in a calcareous saline–sodic soil. The results revealed that the recovery of SO₄-S increased significantly (p≤0.05) in all treatments as elemental S increased, particularly when in combination with manure. The interactional effects of S° and manure application rates resulted in a decrease in soil pH of 0.1 to 0.9 units and increases in soil EC from 0.1 to 2.6 dS m^?1 as result of an increase in the number of oxidisers and the oxidation rate of elemental S. Application of S° in combination with manure led to an increase in soil-available-P (0.6–40 mg kg^?1), DTPA-Zn (0.2–3.9 mg kg^?1) and DTPA-Fe (0.1–5.6 mg kg^?1).