Evaluation of Lower Niger River Floodplain Soils of Bayelsa State, Southern Nigeria for Their Agricultural Capabilities
1 Pedology and Land Suitability Evaluation Soil Fertility Evaluation/Management & Cropping Systems Research
* Corresponding author: achimotadickson@gmail.com
* Corresponding author: achimotadickson@gmail.com
Abstract
Capabilities and fertility constraints to crop production of the Lower Niger River floodplain soils were assessed using Land Capability Classification (LCC), Land capability Index (LCI), and the Fertility Capability Classification (FCC) systems. The LCC grouped the nine soil mapping units (SMUs) into class II, suited for a wide range of arable crops while LCI grouped ELM1 into class I, ODN1 and TFN1, in class II and ELM2, ELM3, ODN2, ODN3, TFN2, and TFN3, in class III, good to excellent for annual crops. For perennial crops, LCI grouped ELM1, ODN1, and TFN1 into class II, ELM3, ODN2, TFN2, and TFN3, in class III, and ELM2 and ODN3, in class IV, considered good to excellent for perennial crops. The FCC classified ELM1 and ELM2 as Lha-e, ELM3 into Sha-ek, ODN1 into Lha-, ODN2 and ODN3 into Lgha-ek, TFN1 into Lha-ek, TFN2 into SLa-ek, and TFN3 into Sha-e. Wetness, flooding, low nutrient retentive capacity, low ex- changeable Ca2+, and Mg2+ concentration, soil acidity and Al3+ toxicity, texture, drainage, K deficiency, and the likelihood of Fe3+ toxicity were identified as lim- iting fertility characteristics. Whereas limitations identified by the different sys- tems were similar, only LCC identified flooding limitation, LCI, and FCC identi- fied texture and FCC alone identified K+ deficiency limitation. Flood control, improved drainage, liming, and adequate fertilization practices including organic matter conservation, were recommended for improved land management.
Keywords
Land capability index Fertility capability classification Flood plain soils Agricultural Capability
References
- Akpan-Idiok, A.U. &Agbaji, P.O. 2013. Characterization and Classification of Onwu River Floodplain Soils in Cross River State, Nigeria. International Journal of Agricultural Research 8:107-122.
- Anderson, J.M. and Ingram, J.S.I. 1993. Tropical soil biology: A handbook of methods. CAB International.
- Brady, N.C., and Weil, R.R. 2005. The Nature and Properties of Soils. Pearson Princeton Hills.
- Bray, R.H. & Kurtz, L.T., 1945. Determination of total, organic and available forms of phosphorus in soils. Soil Science 59:39-45.
- Day, PR 1965. Particle fractionation and particle size analysis, Madison, Wisconsin, American Society of Agronomy.
- Dickson, 2018. Characterization, classification, and suitability evaluation of agricultural soils of selected communities along with various river systems in Bayelsa State, Southern Nigeria. Ph.D. Thesis at North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, South Africa. Published. 352p.
- Effiong, S.B. and Ibia, O.T. 2009. Characteristics of some river flood plain soils to crop production in southeastern Nigeria. Agricultural Journal 4:103-108.
- Estefan, G., Sommer, R., and Ryan, J. 2013. Methods of Soil, Plant, and Water Analysis: A Manual for the West Asia and North Africa. International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).
- Houba, V.J.G., Van Der Lee, J.J. andNovozamsky, I. 1995. Soil and plant analysis, part 5B: soil analysis procedures, other procedures.
- Izac, A.M.N., and Sanchez, P.A. 2001. Towards a natural resource management paradigm for international agriculture: the example of agroforestry research 69:5-25.
- Kamprath, E.J. 1970. Soil Acidity and Liming In: Sanchez, P.A. (ed.) A Review of Soil Research in Tropica, Latin America, North Carolina, USA: North Carolina Experimental Station.
- Klingebiel A.A. and Montgomery, 1961. Land Capability Classification
- Ogunkunle, A.O andBabalola, O. 1986. Capability groupings of some soils in the low land Benue River. Proceedings of the 14th Annual Conference of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria. 19th-23rd October 1986. Makurdi, Nigeria. 46-58.
- Olaleye, A.O., Ogunkunle, A.O., Sahrawat, K.L., Oiname, O.A. andAyanlaja, SA 2002. Suitability Evaluation of Selected Wetland Soils in Nigeria for Rainfed Rice Cultivation. TROPICULTURA 20:97-103.
- Sanchez, P.A., Palm, C.A. and Buol, S.W. 2003. Fertility capability classification: a tool to help assess soil quality in the tropics. Geoderma 114:157-185.
- Sumner, M.E., and Stewart, B.A. 1992. Soil Crusting, Chemical, and Physical Processes. Boca Raton, Lewis Publishers.
- Udo, EJ 2001. Nutrient status and agricultural potentials of wetland soils. Proceedings 27th Annual Conference of Soil Science Society of Nigeria. The University of Calabar, Calabar 112-118.
- Udo Bassey, U., Etip, K.E., Inyang, M.T. and Idungafa, M.A. 2009. Fertility Assessment of some Inland Depressions and Floodplain (Wetland) Soils in Akwa Ibom State. Journal of Tropical Agriculture, Food, Environment and Extension 8:14-19.
- Udoh, B.T., Henry, H.B., and&Akpan US 2011. Suitability Evaluation of Alluvial Soils for Rice (Oryza sativa) and Cocoa (Theobroma cocoa) Cultivation in an Acid Sands Area of Southeastern Nigeria. Journal of Innovative Research in Engineering and Science 2:148-161.
- Ukeagbu, E.P., Osuaku, S.K., and Okolo, CC 2015. Suitability Assessment of Soils supporting Oilpalm Plantations in the Coastal Plain Sands, Imo State Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Forestry 5: 113-120.
- Van Ranst, E., and Verdoodt, A. 2005. Land Evaluation Part II: Qualitative Methods in Land Evaluation. UNIVERSITEIT GENT: International Centre for Physical Land Resources, Laboratory of Soil Science.
How to Cite
Dickson, A. A., Kutu, F., & Aruleba, J. (2021). Evaluation of Lower Niger River Floodplain Soils of Bayelsa State, Southern Nigeria for Their Agricultural Capabilities. Nigerian Journal of Soil Science, 31(1), 100-117.
A. A. Dickson, F. Kutu, and J. Aruleba, "Evaluation of Lower Niger River Floodplain Soils of Bayelsa State, Southern Nigeria for Their Agricultural Capabilities," Nigerian Journal of Soil Science, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 100-117, April 2021.
