Abstract

MIRETTI, María Celeste; PILATTI, Miguel; LAVADO, Raúl Silvio  and  DEL CARMEN IMHOFF, Silvia. History of soil use and micronutrient content in argiudolls of the center of the Santa Fe province (Argentina). Cienc. suelo [online]. 2012, vol.30, n.1, pp.67-73. ISSN 1850-2067.

The studies related to the concentration and bioavailability of soil micronutrients are very limited for the central region of Santa Fe province, reason for which the objectives of the current research were: a) to determine the decrease of the micronutrient contents in Argiudolls of Santa Fe as a consequence of soil use, and b) to correlate the micronutrient bioavailability with soil properties that were affected by the intensification of productive systems (organic matter, pH). The study was carried out in Argiudolls of Las Colonias county (Santa Fe). Composite soil samples were collected from 20 fields under pristine conditions (CP), 22 fields under milk production history (G), 24 fields under agricultural-livestock history (AG) and 20 fields under a long agricultural history (A). These samples were used to determine: pH, organic carbon (OC), boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn). The results indicate that the pH did not vary among the studied situations; the values of OC diminished 40% with the intensification of agriculture; the concentration of B and Zn in fields with a long agricultural history decreased 50% with respect to the pristine condition; the Cu concentration was not altered; Fe and Mn did not show a clear tendency to change as a function of the soil use. Zinc deficiencies could occur in some cases, therefore, its concentration should be routinely controlled, especially in intensive systems, to assure an appropriate supply of nutrients according to the crop demand.

Keywords : Soil use intensity; Micronutrient bioavailability; Changes in chemical properties.

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