Fertility Status of Fadama Soils in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria

An experiment investigated the fertility status of fadama soils in the Asaba environment, Delta State. The study area was divided into twelve blocks, and ten representative soil samples were taken from each block to form one composite sample that was air-dried at room temperature and sieved with a 2 mm sieve. Particle size distribution, soil pH, organic carbon, total N, available P, exchangeable bases and micronutrients, as well as exchangeable acidity, were measured. In contrast, effective cation exchange capacity and percentage base saturation were calculated. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistic, while a correlation coefficient was used to measure the relationship between nutrient parameters. The soils texture were sandy clay loam and acidic with pH values that ranged within 5.0-5.5. Organic carbon values ranged between 1.20 and 1.64 %, while total N varied between 0.14 and 0.31 %. Available phosphorus was 10 mg/kg, exchangeable bases and ECEC were low, while percentage base saturation was moderate. Manganese and Fe were high while Cu and Zn were low. Soil pH and P were fewer variables, while organic carbon was moderately and N was highly variable. Phosphorus positively and significantly correlated with Ca while Ca also correlated considerably with K. Organic carbon positively correlated with N and P.