Effect of fertilization on organic matter and pH of soil in ponds for Litopenaeus vannamei culture

Abstract

Adequate management of the soil in shrimp ponds is one of the main resources in improving the stability of the culture and minimizing the occurrence of diseases. One strategy for improving soil quality is oxidizing organic matter and maintaining pH values near neutral. The present study tested the influence of different fertilization strategies on soil quality of ponds for Litopenaeus vannamei culture using two treatments: SN (enriched sodium nitrate) and SNS (urea, triple super phosphate and sodium silicate). Statistical analysis were done using the Student 't' test (P<0.05). The results were statistically different. The percentages of organic matter oxidation were 36.2% plus or minus 4,0 and 20.0% plus or minus 4.0 and pH values at the end of the study were 7.1 and 5.1 for the SN and SNS treatments, respectively.