ATTRIBUTES OF DYSTROPHIC LATOSOL IN SOUTHERN MINAS GERAIS AFTER APPLICATION OF SEWAGE SLUDGE

Rodrigo Santos Moreira; Ronaldo Luiz Mincato; Breno Regis Santos; Rômulo Spuri Barbosa; Adauton Vilela de Rezende; Marcio Donizetti de Andrade

doi:10.5327/Z2176-947820151914

Authors

Rodrigo Santos Moreira Universidade Federal de Alfenas (UNIFAL)
Ronaldo Luiz Mincato Universidade Federal de Alfenas (UNIFAL) http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8127-0325
Breno Regis Santos Universidade Federal de Alfenas (UNIFAL)
Rômulo Spuri Barbosa Universidade Federal de Alfenas (UNIFAL)
Adauton Vilela de Rezende Universidade José do Rosário Vellano (UNIFENAS)
Marcio Donizetti de Andrade Cooperativa Regional de Cafeicultores em Guaxupé LTDA (Cooxupé)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5327/Z2176-947820151914

Keywords:

soil fertility; organic waste; biosolids.

Abstract

In general, tropical soils present low natural fertility, which results in a great
amount of degraded areas if it is associated with improper handling. Sewage
sludge, due to its high levels of organic matter and nutrients, can improve soil
properties. Thus, this study evaluated the conditioning and fertilizing effects
of sewage sludge on the attributes of a typical dystrophic latosol in Southern
Minas Gerais. The experiment evaluated the application of sludge from
Santana wastewater treatment plant in Varginhas (Minas Gerais, Brazil) in
pots, with concentrations equivalent to 60, 120, and 180 t ha-1, and a control
treatment without sludge. The sewage sludge has increased the levels of
organic matter, cation-exchange capacity, sum of the bases and nutrients,
as well as increased porosity and decreased soil density, thus indicating the
potential for conditioning and fertilizing agricultural soils.