Effect of phosphate sorption on the compression index and consistence parameters of Oxisols

Phosphate sorption can cause particle dispersion, changing soil porosity, and affecting soil-water relationships, mainly in oxidic soils. Therefore, it can also affect water-related parameters, such as consistence limits and response to soil compaction. The objective of this study was to test the effect of phosphate sorption on consistence limits and compression indexes of undisturbed samples from 0-0.03 and 0.27-0.3 m-layers of a Dark Red Latosol from Campos das Vertentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Phosphate was added to half of the samples, during the pre-wetting phase of the compressibility test, in order to reach their maximum sorption capacity. Compression index represents the slope of the virgin part of the compression curve. The surface layer showed higher compression indexes for both P and no P conditions. This means higher compaction with increasing loads on the samples. Consistence limits and compression index were higher in the P-added samples. Although the optimum moisture for maximum compression index of the surface layer was within the plasticity range at the surface-layer sample, which means lower risk to compaction, the soil would still be susceptible to compaction because these values were within the friability range at the 0.27-0.30 m layer sample, which is the depth affected by most of the plowing practices.

plasticity; friability; soil compaction; particle dispersion; phosphate sorption