Slag-Based Gypsum as a Source of Sulphur, Calcium and Silicon and Its Effect on Soil Fertility and Yield and Quality of
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Slag-Based Gypsum as a Source of Sulphur, Calcium and Silicon and Its Effect on Soil Fertility and Yield and Quality of Groundnut in Southern India Laxmanarayanan M 1
&
Nagabovanalli B. Prakash 1 & Prabhudev Dhumgond 1 & Shruthi 1 & Shrenivas Ashrit 2
Received: 15 May 2020 / Accepted: 28 August 2020 # Sociedad Chilena de la Ciencia del Suelo 2020
Abstract Slag-based gypsum (SBG) is a unique synthetic gypsum which is alkaline in nature, besides calcium (Ca) and sulphur (S); it contains appreciable amounts of iron (Fe), silicon (Si), phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn). In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of SBG as a source of S, Ca and Si for groundnut in comparison with natural gypsum (NG). The effect of different levels and time of application of SBG on soil fertility and yield and quality of groundnut were also studied. Field experiments were conducted with five treatments which includes two levels of SBG (500 and 625 kg ha−1) applied as basal and basal + split and one level of NG (500 kg ha−1) applied as basal. Basal and basal + split applications of SBG significantly increased the pod and haulm yield of groundnut, pH, electrical conductivity and plant-available nutrients in post-harvest soil. However, N:S ratio, kernel and protein yield and oil content did not vary with SBG application. Applied S, Ca and Si as SBG and their uptake were positively correlated with plant-available S, Ca and Si and pod, oil and protein yield of groundnut, respectively. Basal and basal + split applications of SBG resulted in a similar effect on soil fertility and yield and quality of groundnut. Findings from this study show that SBG can be a potential alternative for NG as a source of S, Ca and Si for groundnut production. Among the treatments, basal and basal + split applications of 625 kg SBG ha−1 substantially improved the fertility of soils and yield and quality of groundnut. Keywords Slag-based gypsum . Natural gypsum . Soil fertility . Secondary nutrients . Beneficial element
1 Introduction Population growth and resulting food demand often argued to lead to increased stress on natural mineral resources which are major raw material for fertilizer production. Therefore, in the future, the usage of various industrial waste–based valueadded nutrient supplements would be helpful to decrease the rate of exhaustion of natural mineral resources. Total reserve mineral gypsum in India has been estimated around 1330 million tonnes (Indian Minerals Yearbook 2018), and much of natural gypsum (NG) used in agriculture is essentially met
* Laxmanarayanan M [email protected] 1
Plant Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Soil Science and Agriculture Chemistry, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560065, India
2
R&D Department, Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand 831007, India
from natural gypsum deposits (Wallace 1994). NG is a hydrated calcium sulphate (CaSO4·2H2O) which commonly utilized as an amendment for alkaline soil (Ahmad et al. 2010) and also used as Ca and S sources for oil
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