VARIATION IN SOIL PROPERTIES BY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATION OF POULTRY LITTER

VARIATION IN SOIL PROPERTIES BY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATION OF POULTRY LITTER Poultry litter is an organic fertilizer with good agronomic characteristics, which serves well as conditioner of soil physical properties. In this sense, the objective of this study was to verify changes in soil properties in no-tillage systems with poultry litter. The study was conducted on a sandy loam Oxisol under continuous no-tillage in the last years, with rotation of mainly soybean, corn, cotton, and millet, with evaluations in three layers (0-10, 10-20, 20-30 cm), in three replications. The treatments consisted of a mineral fertilizer system (S2), application of raw poultry litter (S3), application of chicken manure compost (S4) and an untreated area with native vegetation (Si). The management systems induced the degradation of soil properties in relation to native vegetation (Si) in ascending order - S4, S2, S3, which was quantified by the reduced values of total carbon, aggregate diameter and stability, macroporosity, hydraulic conductivity saturated and higher values of density and resistance to penetration and microporosity. Raw poultry litter was more advantageous for the availability of total Nand less efficient to ensure the soil physical quality. Composted chicken litter resulted in properties that were more similar to natural conditions.