Evolution of soil fertility in the West of Santa Catarina between 1980 and 2016

Abstract

The temporal variation in the attributes used to evaluate soil fertility is an indispensable tool to correct eventual deficiencies and excesses in the management of fertilization and liming in the fields. The present study was carried out using results from 92,566 soil analyzes from samples sent by farmers to official laboratories in the Western Santa Catarina from 1980 to 2016, with a periodicity of four years. The distribution classes of each attribute were the same as those used in a previous study, published in 1994, grouping those classes with very small percentage of samples. In general, we observed an increase in the percentage of samples in the classes with higher clay content, available phosphorus and exchangeable potassium, stability in the percentage of the classes of pH in water and exchangeable Calcium + Magnesium content and reduction in the classes with higher content of organic matter