INFLUENCE OF THE APPLICATION OF BY-PRODUCTS FROM LIME MINING ON SOIL CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES

Abstract

LIMESTONE IS ONE OF THE MAIN AGRICULTURAL INPUTS USED IN AGRICULTURE IN TROPICAL REGIONS. IT HAS THE POWER TO NEUTRALIZE ACIDITY, THE MAIN IMPEDING CHARACTERISTIC OF OXISOLS, IN ADDITION TO BEING A SOURCE OF NUTRIENTS SUCH AS CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM. AS IT IS A ROCK POWDER, ITS MINING PRODUCES A RESIDUE THAT HAS CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS SIMILAR TO THOSE FOUND IN LIMESTONE, WHICH CAN BE CLASSIFIED AS A BY-PRODUCT WITH HIGH POTENTIAL FOR AGRONOMIC USE. THUS, THIS WORK AIMS TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL OF USING LIMESTONE MINING BY-PRODUCT TO IMPROVE SOIL CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES. THE TREATMENTS CONSISTED OF 4 INCREASING DOSES OF BY-PRODUCT EQUIVALENT TO 0.8, 1.1, 1.45 AND 1.8 MG HA-1, WITH TEN REPLICATIONS, IN A COMPLETELY RANDOMIZED EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN, ARRANGED IN TWO FACTORS, CRUSHED RESIDUE AND NOT CRUSHED. THE APPLICATION OF LIMESTONE MINING RESIDUE PROVED TO BE EFFICIENT IN IMPROVING SOIL CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES. WHEN EVALUATING THE INFLUENCE OF THE APPLICATION ON THE LEVELS OF CALCIUM, MAGNESIUM AND SATURATION BY BASES, THE TREATMENT WITH 1.8 MG HA-1 NOT CRUSHED PRESENTED HIGHER VALUES THAN THE OTHER TREATMENTS. THE CONTROL TREATMENT SHOWED THE WORST RATES, AND THE OTHER TREATMENTS WERE STATISTICALLY EQUAL AND POSITIONED ABOVE THE CONTROL TREATMENT AND BELOW THE TREATMENT WITH 1.8 MG KG HA-1 NOT CRUSHED. LIMESTONE MINING RESIDUE SHOWED POTENTIAL FOR IMPROVING SOIL CHEMICAL ATTRIBUTES AND CAN BE USED AS A SOIL CONDITIONER.