The use of humic (HA) acids together with mineral and organic fertilizers probably modifies the natve soil humic acids'In the São Francisco Valley, Northeast Brazil, organic acids have gain interest of growers using irrigated agriculture. But so far, the possible modifications of the native soil humic substances under application of organic acids along with mineral and organic fertilizers are not known. The objective of this study was to evaluate and characterize the qualitative changes in humic acids extracted from a soil fertirrigated with different sources of mineral and organic fertilizers, together with the commercial organic acid application to guava trees. The experiment was carried out at Embrapa Tropical Semi-Arid, in Petrolina, State of Pernambuco, Brazil. The treatments were: F - mineral fertirrigation (urea, monoammonium phosphate, potassium chloride); FE - F + 20 L/plant manure; FH - F + fertirrigation with 30 L Codahumus 20® ha-1; FEH - mineral fertigation + 20 L/plant manure + fertirrigation with 30 L Codahumus 20® ha-1; and R - reference (without fertilizer, manure or organic acid applications). The E4/E6 ratio of HA ranged from 4.8 to 5.4 for the treatments FEH and F. Results of the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy suggest a mixture of aromatic and aliphatic characteristics, a large abundance of carboxylic groups and a lower number of nitrogen groups for humic acids in the treatments FEH, FH and FH. The A465 index ranged from 1.04 to 1.74 for HA in the treatments FEH and FE. The concentration of organic free radicals in HA in the treatment FEH (2.66 Spins g-1 10(17)) was three times higher than the HA concentration in treatment F (0.95 Spins g-1 10(17)). Manure accounted for the highest level of HA polycondensation and humification degree in the treatments FE and FHE.
fertirrigation; organic acids; manure; semi-arid
