Sulphur nutrition of tea - global review

Abstract

Sulphur, as a secondary nutrient is vital for tea crop. Although, the importance of sulphur in tea crop nutrition was recognized long ago, it received little attention compared to other nutrients. This could be due to the fact that sulphur estimations in soil and plant are tedious. Quite often, sulphur needs were met through low analysis fertilizers like ammonium sulphate, single superphosphate and some organic sources. However, with increase in productivity of crop over time, removal of sulphur and increased use of high analysis fertilizers viz. urea, di-ammonium phosphate, and triple superphosphate etc. further hastened the depletion of sulphur from the soil. This review aims at consolidating the information available and help in identifying information gaps in our knowledge and suggest future lines of research.