Soil chemical changes and nutrient leaching losses following application of a farm-dairy effluent

The objective of this research was to analyze soil chemical properties changes and nutrient leaching losses following the application of a farm-dairy effluent (FDE) to a Typic Argiudoll. The experimental design consisted of three randomized complete blocks and four treatments: TO, without; T1, 60 m(3) ha(-1); T2, 120 m(3) ha(-1); and T3, 180 m(3) ha(-1) of FDE applied. Soil samples were collected to evaluate their chemical properties and leaching of anions and cations was quantified from the flux density of water and the ion concentration in the soil solution. Sorghum and alfalfa crops were grown during the experiment. FDE had a strong potential to partially replace fertilizers by increasing organic matter and nutrient content in the upper profile of the soil. However, increases in exchangeable K+ and exchangeable Na+ should be considered. The leaching of nitrate, sodium, calcium and magnesium was 2.7, 31.2, 201.8 and 30.4 kg ha(-1), respectively.