Evaluation of Indigenous Soil Fertility Assessment of the Sudan Savannah Agro-Ecological Zone of Nigeria - A Paper Review
Journal Title: IOSR Journal of Agriculture and Veterinary Science (IOSR-JAVS) - Year 2018, Vol 11, Issue 10
Abstract
A study was conducted to evaluate the indigenous knowledge by farmers toward their soil fertility assessment. More research has been deeply developed from the basically ideologies and ethno-scientific approaches generated by the locally farmers worldwide through their long-term experience in the farming system toward assessing the soil fertility using their commonly indigenous knowledge. The concept has received attention and gradually developing throughout the world and have been documented by numerous scientists in Latin America, South-East Asia and Africa (Nutnet, 2000).They formed the basis for many management practices such as attunement of cropping system to the agricultural capabilities of the site and adjusting soil conservation practices (Greb, 1983).This paper has paid attention on how farmers classified soil fertility using a commonly criteria such as soil color, depth, texture, structure and vegetation to maximize production. Farmers from three locations namely Dundaye, Kwalkwalawa and Gidan-Yaro were interviewed and soil samples were collected for a laboratory analysis.A total of eighteen (18) soil samples were collected at the depth of 20cm each, taken to the laboratory, air-dried, ground and sieved using 2mm sieve before the analysis. The samples were analysed for color determination, particle size analysis, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), organic carbon,and cation exchange capacity (CEC) using a standard methods. Results obtained showed that the soils are sandy-loam, sandy-clay-loam and loamy-sand. The soil pH is within the range of slightly-acidic, neutral and slightly-alkaline respectively. The total nitrogen and available phosphorus were very low in the soils with their values ranging from 0.02 to 0.06% and 0.17 to 0.45 mg/kg in Dundaye, 0.04-0.15% and 0.20 to 0.55 in Kwalkwalawa and 0.004 to 0.02% and 0.21 to 0.48 mg/kg in Gidan Yaro. The percentage organic matter content was found to be moderate to high while the exchangeable sites were found to be predominantly occupied by the bases thus indicating high percentage base saturation in mostly not-fertile soils. The percentage base saturation (PBS) values for Dundaye, Kwalkwalawa and Gidan-Yaro were 67.3%, 53.3% and 73.5% thus indicating a moderate to high mean values respectively. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) was low to moderate with mean values of 5.9 cmolkg-1 ,9.4 cmolkg-1 and 4.5cmolkg-1 for Dundaye, Kwakwalawa and Gidan-Yaro respectively. In conclusion, the results reported in the present study indicated that not-fertile soils were found to be coarser than fertile soils while the fertile soils are more characterized to dark colors and relatively higher in fertility parameters such as organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), % base saturation (PBS), total nitrogen (N) and available phosphorus (P). Based on this finding, there may be a room for accepting indigenous knowledge of assessing soil fertility in Dundaye district.
Authors and Affiliations
Umar B, Idris S, Ali S, Abdullahi B. U, Aliyu M. D
Keywords
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- EP ID EP402447
- DOI 10.9790/2380-1110010109.
- Views 82
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