SOIL PHOSPHORUS ALTERATION BY PIG SLURRY APPLICATION

Pig slurry serves as plant nutrient source, but may cause phosphorus accumulation in the soil when used improperly, which later can be transferred to the aquatic environment causing eutrophication. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential risk of environmental contamination by continuous use of pig slurry, measuring alterations in phosphorus content in the soil and in the sorption isotherms. The study was carried out at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, in a Typic Hapludalf The effects of applying 0, 40 and 80 m(3) ha(-1) pig slurry broadcast over the soil surface before sowing of each species in a crop rotation were studied. The pig slurry, applied on the soil surface under no tillage, contained phosphorus quantities superior to those exported by crops, which increased the available soil phosphorus to a depth of 15 cm. The saturation of the soil phosphate adsorption sites, as indicated by the parameters of the Langmuir equation, was proportional to the pig slurry rate. The pig slurry application altered the concentration of phosphorus in the equilibrium solution, the amount of phosphorus desorbed with water and the constant describing the affinity of phosphate for the substratum surface. The observed changes point to a risk of phosphorus desorption in case the sediments are transferred to surface water bodies.