A field experiment was conducted, during the years of 1996/97 and 1997/98, to evaluate the effects of the successive application of solid urban waste compost on organic carbon, electrical conductivity, pH, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) at field pH in a Typic Hapludox cropped with sugarcane. In the first year, besides lime + mineral fertilizer and control treatments, the compost was applied at a rate of 0, 20, 40, and 60 Mg ha-1 (dry basis). In the second year, the compost was reapplied at a rate of 24, 48, and 72 Mg ha-1. All studied soil properties increased with rate of compost application in both years. Attributes increments from the first to the second application were significant, except for electrical conductivity, which increased soon after the residue application, but did not reach critical levels and decreased along the time. Accumulation of organic C in soil was direct proportional to compost application rate. The increase of soil CEC was a consequence of the increments on organic C content and pH value.
carbon; organic compounds; electrical conductivity; pH; cation exchange capacity; soil
