Classification Of Soils Under Three Different Landuse Types

ABSTRACT

 The experiment on classification of soil under three different landuses was conducted at Umuhu Local Government Area Aboh Mbaise in Imo State. A profile pit was dug in each landuse type  after which soil samples were collected from each profile pit ranging from 0 – 10 and 116 – 203cm on the Oil Palm Plantation, 0 – 15 and 150 – 196cm on Arable soil farmland under 10years Fallow and Homestead Farmland ranging from 0 – 18 and 119 – 180cm. In the study area, Dark Brown Colour was dominant in the profile pit and most of the soils were friable, many fine roots were also found in the area. Few significant correlations existed among the soil properties, pH(water) had positive significant association with Available (r = 0.89), pH (Kcl) (r = 0.95) and K (r = 0.87) among the three different landuse types respectively while it had a negative association among Al (r = -0.82), Clay and Organic matter. An increase in the positive association will bring about a corresponding increase in pH(water) while an increase in the negative associations will bring about a negative effect on water.

 CHAPTER ONE

1.1     INTRODUCTION

Soil is an essential resource particularly for any agrarian society. It is also a scarce resource with a carrying capacity that can be stretched only to a limited extent with the help of technology.

All soils are naturally variable with their properties changing across landscape and vertically down the soil profile (Brady and Weil, 2002; Sheleme, 2011). Information on soil characteristics and distribution is necessary for planning and implementing sustainable landuse and rehabilitation of degraded lands (Teshome et al., 2016). It is therefore, very useful to study and understand the properties of soils and their distribution over an area in order to develop management plans for an efficient utilization of soil resources (Abay et al., 2015). Non use of soil information has resulted in soil and soil soil-related environmental problems take nutrient depletion, nutrient toxicity, cracking of architectural structures, poor yield and food insecurity (Onweremadu et al., 2006).

Soils are the biologically active, porous medium that has developed in the uppermost layer of earth’s crust. Soil is one of the principal substrate of life on earth, serving as a reservoir of water and nutrients, as a medium for filtration and breakdown of injurious wastes and as a participant in the cycling of carbon and other elements through the global ecosystem.

Many soil properties including particle-size distribution, pH, Organic carbon, total nitrogen etc. vary with slope position (Mulugeta and sheleme, 2010; Ijinku et al., 2014). Soil properties are very important land characteristics particularly when they are to be put into agronomic uses. But in practice the use to which a land is put may not be related to the soil type because decisions on land use will rest on farmers capability and the evaluator. Under small scale present agriculture, landuse and soil type are rarely closely associated due to constraints like land tenure system, financial status lack of relevant information or ignorance of farmers (Ogunkunle and Eghaghara, 1992).

Soil texture, typically permanent is an intrinsic attribute of the soil and the one most often used to characterize its physical makeup, having a bearing on such soil behaviours as nutrient and water holding capacity. Organic matter level and decomposition, aeration, infiltration rate, drawing and/or permeability and workability (Hille, 1980; Sys et al., 1991a), variation in soil texture is not very common within short distances but where variation exists, they are due to variation in rock minerals that gave rise to the soils. Soil texture is a physical property of the soil.

Soil colour is one of the important basic properties which helps to identify the kinds of soil and recognize the successions of soil horizons or layers in soil profiles. It has long been used for soil identification and qualitative measurements of soil properties and is a helpful field soil property for characterizing soil types (Noshadi et al., 2013). According to Wakene (2001), colour is a function of pH, redox reaction and organic matter. A change in soil colour from adjacent soil also indicates a difference in the soil minerals origin or in soil development (Sharma, 2002). Nuga et al., (2006) reported that the variation in colour matrix of soils could be attributed to the sequence of drainage condition and physiographic position. Soil colouris one of the morphological properties of the soil.

Aduayi and Ekong (1981) defined soil reaction as the degree of acidity, neutrality or alkalinity. They further highlighted that the pH of an aqueous solution is the negative logarithm to base 10 of the hydrogen ion concentration in the soil solution. Soil reaction has direct effect in ion exchange in the soil. Russel (1993) stated that the hydrogen ion concentration in the solution.

 1.2     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The major objective of this study was to classify some selected soils under different land use types in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A.

Specific objectives include to:

• Characterize soils of different landuse types in area
• Classify the soils under each landuse type
• Estimate variation among soil properties
• Establish relationship among soil properties

Pages:  44

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF         

Chapters: 1-5                                 

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract and References.