Fertigation if conducted inadequately may cause soil salinization and consequently leaching of nutrients can pollute ground water. An index is proposed to determine the uniformity of distribution of ammonium, nitrate, potassium and phosphorus in columns of fertigated Oxisols, which relates the highest content of the nutrient in a column segment with the mean nutrient content in the experimental unit. The higher the index value, the more irregular is the nutrient distribution. This index was calculated based on laboratory data evaluated in a 4 x (1 + 6) factorial design including four Oxisols of Minas Gerais (two distrophic Red-Yellow, one dystroferric Red and one dystrophic Red oxisol), one control (application of deionized water) and six application modes of application of 1 mmol c of N-NH4+, 1 mmol c N-NO3-, 2 mmol c K and 2 mmol c dm-3 P. The coefficient of variation was calculated for the content of each nutrient along the columns. The ratio between the mean and the highest nutrient content was computed as well, considering the soil and the treatment. It was inferred that the ratio mean/highest content is an adequate index of uniformity of nutrient distribution to evaluate the movement of major mobile ions such as nitrate, ammonium and potassium in the soil. The coefficient of variation is less appropriate to show the uniformity of nutrient distribution.
ion dynamic; macronutrients; nitrogen; nutrient availability
