Physicochemical Properties of the Soils of Wassaniya Forest Reserve Tangaza Local Government, Sokoto State

A study was conducted on the physical and chemical properties of the soils of Wassaniya Forest Reserve in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Nigeria. The study area was divided into 4 main plots located at Wassaniya, Jimajimi, Yartagimba and Daiji purposively selected based on vegetation density and human interference. From each of the four main plots three sample plots of size 0.5ha were randomly selected and demarcated to serve as replicates. Four composite soil samples were collected at the depth of 0 to 15cm from each plot using a soil auger for laboratory analyses. Four other undisturbed soil samples were collected for bulk density determination using a core sampler. The soils at the four locations varied in texture from sandy loam (SL) at Yartagimba, clay loam (CL) at Wassaniya and Daiji to clay (C) at Jimajimi. The results indicated that the soils at Jimajimi had the highest moisture contents (9%) though not statistically significant. The highest pH value (6.94) was obtained in the soils of Jimajimi which are slightly alkaline compared with the soils of Yartagimba (5.47) as well as those at Wassaniya and Daiji with pH values of 4.23 which connotes acidic reaction. Yartagimba had the highest Bulk density (1.32Mg/m3), organic carbon (1.64g/kg) exchangeable potassium (0.88cmol./kg) as well as highest nitrogen (0.49g/kg) hence the soils are more fertile

Soils and Nutrients Losses and Gains during Rainy Season in the Fadama of Semi-Arid Sokoto, Nigeria

A study was conducted to quantify the amount of soil and plant nutrients losses and gains during rainy season in the fadama land in the Sokoto semi-arid ecosystem, Nigeria. Field measurements revealed that about 33.3 tonne ha-1 of soil was moved from the adjacent uplands by run-off and wind and subsequently deposited in the fadama, while 22 ton ha-1 was removed from the fadama land during the period of the study (May-September). Over the same period, plant nutrients losses (in kg ha-1) with the eroded soil amounted to 30.8 organic matter, 0.3 K, 9.0 Na and 0.07 available P. Nutrient gains (in kg ha-1) amounted to 2.2 Total N and 4.4 Mg. Soil deposition was found to be greater than soil removal because of the gusty winds that accompany early and late rains.The major problem of erosion in the fadama lands is the deposition of sandy materials moved from the upland which are by far less fertile. The continuous deposition of these materials could render the fertile fadama infertile. Soil removal is not a very serious threat to the fadama as soil deposition because the land is often flat and covered with vegetation in almost all part of the year with little cover in the dry season and early part of the rainy season.Key words: Nutrient losses, Erosion, Fadama, Semi-arid Sokoto and Rainy seaso

Land Evaluation of an Agricultural Landscape in Dingyadi District, Sokoto State, Nigeria

A semi-detailed survey was conducted to evaluate the soils of an agricultural landscape in Dingyadi area of Sokoto State. Three soil mapping units TLL1, TUP2 and TUP3 were identified on the basis of land forms and surface texture. USDA land capability classification, Fertility capability classification and land suitability classification were use for this purpose. The soils were grouped into various Land capability classes as class IVw, IIIse, and IIIes for TLL 1, TUP 2 and TUP3 respectively. In land fertility capability classification (FCC) soil units TLL 1, TUP 2 and TUP3 were classified as LSg, Lde and Sde respectively. The suitability of the soil was assessed for two major crops (Cowpea and pearl millet) grown in the area TUP2 and TUP3 are rated moderately suitable for cowpea and pearl millet (S2s) while TLL 1 was rated currently not suitable (N1Sw) for cowpea and pearl millet because of limitation of wetness. Management practices such as periodic monitoring of soil quality, adding organic manure and guidedinorganic fertilizer use have been recommended for improve productivity.Keywords: Land, Suitability, Capability; Fertility, Classification, Evaluatio

Heavy Metals and Physicochemical Properties of Soils in Kano Urban Agricultural Lands

This study was conducted on the urban agricultural soils at the banks of three metropolitan and suburban rivers namely Challawa, Jakara and Watari in Kano, Kano State, Nigeria to determine the total, exchangeable and soluble concentrations of the heavy metals Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Pb and Cd . The soils are all slightly alkaline (mean pH 7.42 – 7.77), with moderate CEC (12.63 – 23.11cmol/kg), medium to high organic carbon (7.16 – 11.27g/kg). The mean ranges of total Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Pb and Cd were 4.95 – 5.99, 5.85 – 165.66, 54.03 – 57.77, 55.07 – 255.52, 42.84 – 68.12 and 0.59 – 11.81mg/kg respectively. All the values were lower than the maximum allowable concentrations in soils, except for Cd at Jakara and Challawa. The mean ranges of exchangeable metals were 0.57 – 1.18, 1.69 – 29.26, 13.89 – 15.59, 14.16 – 49.01 10.48 – 18.31 and 0.39 – 1.20mg/kg for Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Pb and Cd respectively. The mean soluble concentrations were 0.27 – 0.48, 0.61 – 15.91, 5.60 – 7.15, 4.90 – 17.42, 2.78 – 9.36 and 0.00 – 0.60mg/kg for Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Pb and Cd respectively. Although appreciable amounts of all the metals were detected in the various forms, variability exists between the sites with concentrations found to be significantly higher (p≤ 0.05) in areas irrigated with waters receiving industrial and domestic sewages namely, Challawa and Jakara than Watari which was the control and significant relationship (p≤ 0.05) exists between exchangeable and total metal forms on one hand and such soil properties as organic carbon, available P, total N and basic cations on the other.Keywords: Heavy metals, bio-avaliable, Kano, Urban, Agricultur

Influence of tillage practices on physical properties of a sandy loam in semi-arid region

The contrasts observed in soil tillage research studies documented the need for more research in many regions of the world if the mechanics of tillage effects on soil physical properties is to be well understood. Thus, the effect of three tillage systems: no-tillage (NT), reduce tillage (RT) andconventional tillage (CT) on the physical properties of a sandy loam soil in Maiduguri, Nigeria was investigated after 9-15 years of management. During the growing season of 2010, triplicate undisturbed core samples (5.5 cm in diameter and 4 cm height) were obtained at two soil depths (0-15 cm and 15-30 cm), for determination of volumetric (.v) moisture content, bulk density (Bd), and total porosity (TP) of the soil at selected dates, while soil penetration resistance (PR) was determined using hand held digital penetrometer. Tillage systems significantly (p = 0.05) affectedBd and TP of the soil at two of the four sampling dates. The RT treatment recorded highest Bd and lowest TP at (0-15 cm) depth across most sampling dates, while at (15-30 cm) soil depth, the CT and RT treatments maintained higher Bd. Soil PR was significantly influenced by tillage systems only at the surface (0-15 cm) soil depth. The NT treatment  recorded significantly (p = 0.05) higher PR while the RT treatment recorded the least. Further, significant (p = 0.05) tillage treatment effects on the .v content of the soil was observed at both surface (0-15 cm) and sub surface (15-30 cm) soil depths. The NT and RT treatments, on average, recorded higher values of .v relative to the CT treatment. Soil organic carbon (OC) and aggregate stability in water (MAW, ASC, DR and WSI) were found to correlate (p < 0.05) well with .v content of the soil for most sampling dates particularly a surface soil layer. The study revealed that, the NT and RT treatments promotes better physical quality of the soil relative to the CT treatment. It ishowever recommended that, other reduced tillage systems such as animal traction and ridgetillage be tried to assess their efficacy of improving soil physical quality.Key words: Tillage, Tillage systems, Soil Physical properties, Moisture storage, Physical qualit

Characterization and Classification of Soils on an Agricultural landscape in Dingyadi District, Sokoto State, Nigeria

No Abstract

Influence of Cultivar and Sokoto Phosphate Rock Levels on the Yield and Yield Components of Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in Dry Sub-Humid Sokoto Area, Nigeria

Locally and easily available rock phosphate could be a sustainable source of phosphorus for legumes production in this region, where, phosphorus deficiency is one of the major problems to crop production. As such, field experiments were conducted during 2007 and 2008 rainy seasons at the Dry land Teaching and Research Farm of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto to study the effect of cultivar and Sokoto phosphate rock (SPR) on the performance of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) in the semi-arid zone of Nigeria. Treatments consisted of factorial combination of two groundnut cultivars (Ex-Dakar and RMP-12) and four levels of Sokoto phosphate rock (0, 60, 120 and 180 kg ha-1) laid out in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Results revealed that pods per plant, pod yield, kernel yield, shelling percentage and harvest index were higher in Ex-Dakar. Also, results obtained revealed no significant effect of SRP on the performance of the parameters observed. Thus, from the findings of this research it could be concluded that Ex-Dakar cultivar could be planted for increased groundnut production in the area. Groundnut cultivars under study did not respond to Sokoto rock phosphate application in the semi-arid zone

Fertility Status of Fadama Soils in Gantsare Village, Wamakko Local Government, Sokoto State As Affected by Cement Dust

A study was conducted in Gantsare village, Wamakko local government, Sokoto state to determine the effect of cement dust emitted from Sokoto cement factory on the fertility of fadama soils. Soil samples were collected in June, 2008 from the eastern, northeastern, and southeastern parts of the village and Girabshi; a nearby village with least effect of the dust. The samples were collected at two depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm) using simple random sampling method. Randomized complete block design (RCBD) was employed, replicated three times, making a total of 24 samples. The samples were analyzed for pH, OC, CEC, total N, available P, exchangeable bases (Ca, Mg, K and Na) and particle size. Almost all parameters determined were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.01). OC was found to be lower in concentration in the areas closer to the factory; eastern part6.25 respectively, likewise CEC and exchangeable bases. The trend in the results observed may be attributed to possible adverse effects of the dust on microbial population, reduction in the availability of some nutrients and a favour on the concentrations of exchangeable bases and CEC. The topsoils showed better results of all the soil chemical properties. The study recommends minimization of the amount of dust reaching agricultural soils and the use of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizer supplements as soil management practices to enhance soil fertility status and enhance adequate crop yield in the area. Key words:Cement dust, fertility status, fadama soils, soil chemical properties, soil management

Ipomea asarifolia (Desr), A Potential Cover Crop for Soil Fertility Improvement in The Sudan Savanna Region, Nigeria

The effect of Ipomea asarifolia on physico - chemical properties of the soils at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto main campus, in the Sudan Savanna of Nigeria was investigated. The study determined the effect of the plant on some physical and chemical properties of soils, found out the nutrient retention ability of the plant in the soils and the variation of the effect with distance within the plants’ canopy. A total of 48 samples were collected from four different sites within Usmanu Danfodiyo University main Campus; VC complex area, University stadium area, Behind new library area and opposite IBB centre area and four distances from the plant (control, plant base, 0.5 m and 1 m from the plant base). Samples were collected for use in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) experiment with three replicates. Soil pH, Organic C, CEC, total N, available P, K, Ca and Mg concentrations were determined, particle size analysis was also carried out. The results were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), where significant F values were obtained, the means were separated by Duncan multiple range tests (DMRT). The difference among the sites and the distances were found to be statistically significant (P VC complex area > New library area > IBB centre area. On the other hand, the effect on all the parameters was found to decrease with distance from the plant with the base of the plant having the highest organic C, CEC, total N, available P and exchangeable K, Ca and Mg; 6.83 g kg-1, 5.00 cmol kg-1, 0.42 g kg-1, 10.82 mg kg-1 and 0.26, 0.50 and 0.97 cmol kg-1 respectively, while the control soils had the least values; 3.46 g kg-1, 4.00 cmol kg-1, 0.12 g kg-1, 7.43 mg kg-1, 0.21, 0.38, and 0.45 cmol kg-1 respectively. The effect was attributed to the accumulation of organic matter around the plant and its ability to prevent erosion by both water and wind thus retaining nutrients making it a suitable cover crop for soil fertility improvement