Response of Sulphur and Zinc Nutrition on Nutrient Uptake and Soil Properties of Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) under Rainfed Condition

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during the late kharif season (August–November 2025) at the College Farm, College of Agriculture, Navsari Agricultural University, Bharuch, Gujarat, using a factorial randomised block design with four replications to evaluate the effects of sulphur and zinc nutrition on nutrient uptake and post-harvest soil properties of rainfed sesame (Sesamum indicum L.). Nine treatment combinations comprising three sulphur levels (0, 20, and 40 kg S ha⁻¹ as bentonite sulphur) and three zinc levels (0, 2.5, and 5.0 kg Zn ha⁻¹ as zinc-EDTA) were imposed on the sesame cultivar Gujarat Til-4 with a common basal dose of 30:25:00 kg N:P₂O₅:K₂O ha⁻¹. Sulphur and zinc concentrations and uptake in seed and stover, together with post-harvest soil physicochemical and biological properties, were assessed. The application of 40 kg S ha⁻¹ produced the highest total S uptake (8.66 kg ha⁻¹) and total Zn uptake (95.47 g ha⁻¹), whereas 5.0 kg Zn ha⁻¹ produced total uptake values of 7.20 kg S ha⁻¹ and 88.60 g Zn ha⁻¹. At 40 kg S ha⁻¹, post-harvest available N, P₂O₅, K₂O, S, Fe, Zn, and organic carbon reached 266.66 kg ha⁻¹, 53.07 kg ha⁻¹, 389.21 kg ha⁻¹, 18.04 mg kg⁻¹, 2.00 mg kg⁻¹, 1.65 mg kg⁻¹, and 7.2 g kg⁻¹, respectively. The application of 5.0 kg Zn ha⁻¹ significantly improved available P₂O₅, S, Fe, Zn, and soil microbial populations. Soil pH and physical properties were unaffected. The S × Zn interaction was non-significant for all measured variables.