Soils with low levels of clay and organic matter have low sulfur (S) availability. Therefore, crop yields may increase due to S fertilization. However, the mobility of S in the soil profile and its atmospheric deposition by rainwater make it difficult to establish the S sufficiency level in the soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the response of crops to S fertilization and quantify the S atmospheric deposition in the soil via rainwater. The cultivations evaluated (castor bean, wheat, jack bean and millet) were performed between 2006 and 2009 in a Hapludalf. The S doses applied in each cultivation were 0, 5, 10 and 20 kg ha-1, using gypsum as a S source. The dry matter production and S accumulation were evaluated the in the shoots of millet and jack bean, and production and the S content were evaluated in castor bean and wheat. We also determined the level of available S in the soil to a depth of 60 cm and the S deposition by rainfall. The highest grain yield of castor bean and the highest dry matter yield in the second cultivation of jack bean were obtained with the application of 14.5±0.35 kg ha-1 S. Even with S content below the sufficiency levels, there was no response of wheat, millet and the first crop of jack bean to the S fertilization. The atmospheric input of S to the soil was 4.5 kg ha-1 year-1 and it may have contributed to the no response of these crops.
sulfur availability; sulfur sufficiency level; sulfur biocycling; gypsum
