The recovery of intensively impacted areas, as originated by the construction of a hydroelectric power plant, is a slow process and usually requires the addition of organic residues as source of organic matter and nutrients to improve the soil properties. The objective of this study was to verify the effects of the addition of sewage sludge and organic residues (wood shavings and sugar cane filter cake) on the growth of two Cerrado tree species, used in the recovery of the properties of a subsoil area impacted by the construction of the hydroelectric power plant Ilha Solteira in the county of Selvíria, MS, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse and the experimental design consisted of randomized blocks with eight treatments, six replications with one plant per replication, for each test plant. Each replication (a 3.3 L plastic bag) was conducted with the following mixture proportions: 30 % sewage sludge; 20 % filter cake, and 10 % wood shavings. Subsoil fertility, mycorrhizal colonization, microbial activity (released C-CO2), and plant growth (canopy and root fresh and dry matter weight and plant heights 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after planting) of two Cerrado native species ['monjoleiro' (Acacia polyphylla DC.) and 'jatobá-do-cerrado' (Hymenaea stigonocarpa Mart)] were analyzed as indicators of subsoil recovery. The treatments with sewage sludge resulted in increased microbial activity in the substrate and increased growth of the two tree species. The presence of sewage sludge improved subsoil fertility, increasing the organic matter, P, K, Ca and Mg contents. The levels of organic matter and P were elevated in the treatments with sewage mixture and the other residues, indicating such applications as adequate in recovery processes. The results showed that the mixtures containing sewage associated to residues improved the subsoil quality with a view to its recovery.
filter cake; wood shavings; microbial activity; arbuscular micorriza; recovery of degraded areas
