Characterization of Organic Wastes and Effects of Their Application on the Soil

The agricultural farming activities generate organic waste whose indiscriminate deposition can be prejudicial to the environment. However, careful application of these wastes as organic fertilizers it is a possibility to improve soil fertility. This study aimed to confirm the hypotheses that organic wastes produced in various production chains in the semi-arid region of Ceará have contents of nutrients that give them potential as organic fertilizers and, since they are used as organic fertilizers, these residues improve the chemical soil attributes. Nutrient contents were determined at the laboratory and then the wastes were placed in decomposition bags and applied in a Fluvic Neosol. Soil samples were collected in the 0-0.10 m layer 90 days after wastes were applied. The residues presented nutrient contents that allow their use as organic fertilizers, except the shrimp farming residue that presented sodium content above that allowed by legislation, resulting also in higher element contents in the soil. In addition, the shrimp farming showed the lowest organic carbon content in relation to others chemical elements. The residues of the poultry industry and the compound made with residues of small ruminants presented the highest of nitrogen and phosphorus levels. The carnauba residue was associated with phosphorus immobilization because it presented C/P ratio higher than 300.