Soil Characteristics of Cassava Growing Ferralsols and Ferruginous Soils in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Population pressure on land has led to reduced fallow periods, more intensive land- use and increasing problems of soil infertility in Kwara State, Nigeria. As a result, depletion of soil fertility is a serious issue due to little or no external addition of plant nutrients to the soil. Present study was conducted to examine the variation in cassava yield on ferralsols and ferruginous soils in Kwara State, Nigeria. Primary and secondary data were used in this study. Stratified sampling technique using quadrats was used to collect soil samples. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis. Results showed that organic matter content, nitrogen, cation exchange capacity and available phosphorus were higher in ferruginous soils than ferralsols. The results of the t-test indicated that the clay content between two soils (p>0.036) was significantly different in top soils and but not significantly different (p>0.233) in sub soils. While the silt content between two soil indicated a highly significant difference (p>0.028) for both topsoil and (p>0.001) subsoil, the sand content indicated no significant difference (p<0.734) for topsoil and (p>0.674) subsoil. The study was limited to soil characteristics under ferralsols and ferruginous in Kwara State, Nigeria. It is suggested to conduct a study on soils properties with a view to identifying areas that could be better managed to improve the productivity of crops.