The Seasonal Characterization and Temporal Evolution of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium in the Surface and Groundwater of an Agricultural Hydrographic Basin in the Midwestern Brazilian Savanna

Nayara Luiz Pires, Daphne Heloisa de Freitas Muniz, Luane Souza de Araújo, Jorge Enoch Furquim Werneck Lima, Roberto Arnaldo Trancoso Gomes, Eloisa Dutra Caldas and Eduardo Cyrino Oliveira-Filho ()
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Nayara Luiz Pires: Federal Institute of Goiás, Formosa 73813-816, Brazil
Daphne Heloisa de Freitas Muniz: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina 73310-970, Brazil
Luane Souza de Araújo: Department of Geography, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Jorge Enoch Furquim Werneck Lima: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina 73310-970, Brazil
Roberto Arnaldo Trancoso Gomes: Department of Geography, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Eloisa Dutra Caldas: Department of Pharmacy, University of Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil
Eduardo Cyrino Oliveira-Filho: Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Embrapa Cerrados, Planaltina 73310-970, Brazil

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-11

Abstract: The Brazilian savanna ( Cerrado Biome) is one of the most important regions in the world in terms of food production, with the use of fertilizers based on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK). When not applied properly, fertilizers can alter and affect water quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of these compounds in surface and groundwater in the Upper Jardim River Hydrographic Unit, Federal District, thus characterizing seasonal variations during the dry and rainy seasons in two periods. A total of 207 groundwater samples and 23 surface water samples were collected in the years 2014, 2015, 2019 and 2020. The parameters analyzed were pH and nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, phosphate and potassium ions. In groundwater samples, pH values were significantly higher and ion levels lower in samples collected during the early years (except for nitrate), and the ammonium concentrations were lower in the dry season than the rainy (in 2014 and 2019). In surface samples, total phosphorus levels were significantly higher in the rainy/2019 compared to the rainy/2020 season, while this tendency was inverted for potassium during the dry season. The use of NPK-based fertilizers has increased considerably in recent years in the region due to the expansion of the agricultural area, and although the results of the study show that concentrations in water are much lower than the maximum values allowed by Brazilian legislation, continuous monitoring is necessary to guarantee water quality.

Keywords: fertilizers; NPK; water quality; aquatic contaminants; Federal District (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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