Chemical attributes of an Ultisol cultivated with banana crop fertigated with N and K

Abstract

Drip irrigation has several advantages in relation to conventional systems, mainly, when is used for fertilizer application via irrigation water. In order to evaluate the effect of nitrogen and potassium applied through irrigation water in an Ultisol cultivated with banana crop, in the Coastal Table Lands of Sergipe State, Brazil, an experiment was established in a 4x4 factorial scheme, in randomized block design, with four replications. The treatments
involved four levels of N (0, 350, 700 and 1,050 kg ha^-1 yr^-1) as urea, and four levels of K₂O (0, 400, 800 and 1,200 kg ha^-1 yr^-1) as KCl. At the end of the first cycle, soil samples were collected in each plot, at depths of 0-0.20 m and 0.20-0.40 m, and analysed for pH, OM., K, Ca and Mg. The results showed that soil acidification was proportional to the applied N-urea doses and that fertigation reduced the level of soil organic matter. The split application of K applied through fertigation increased the content of this nutrient in the soil. Soil characteristics varied in the presence of nitrogen and potassium fertigation.