Sewage sludge and mineral fertilization on recovery of chemical properties of a degraded soil

The objective of this work was to study the influence of sewage sludge and of mineral fertilization on recovery of chemical properties of a degraded Oxisol, cultivated for four years with eucalyptus and pasture, in Selviria, MS, Brazil. The treatments were: T: control (soil under eucalyptus and pasture without the use of sewage sludge and mineral fertilizers): AM: soil under eucalyptus and pasture with mineral fertilization; D30: soil under eucalyptus and pasture with 30 Mg ha(-1) of sewage sludge; D60: soil under eucalyptus and pasture with 60 Mg ha(-1) of sewage sludge; and two control areas: VN: Native 'Cerrado' vegetation and SE: Bare soil (no tillage and without planting). Soil samples were collected in four soil layers (0 to 0.05, 0.05-0.10, 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.40 m) and evaluated for the chemical attributes: phosphorus, organic matter, pH and base saturation. It is concluded that there were positive effects of sewage sludge on the recovery of chemical properties of soil.