Effect of Land Cover Variations on the Fertility Status of Soils of Umuhu in Ngor-Okpala Area of Imo State.

Abstract:

The study was conducted to ascertain the effect of four different land cover (cassava cultivated field (CCF), oil palm plantation (OPP), plantain plantation (PP) and forest land (FL)) on the fertility status of soil of Umuhu in Ngor-Okpala area of Imo State, Nigeria. Random sampling technique was used in the collection of soil samples from the four different land covers. The sampling was done at the beginning, middle and end of each land cover. 12 Composite samples were collected from all the land cover types with 3 per land cover. The composite samples were prepared for routine laboratory analyses. Data generated were analyzed statistically using analysis of variance. The textural classes of all the sampled soil were of loamy sand. The soils which has plantain plantation as its cover had the highest pH(6.4), Total N (0.229 %), Soil organic matter 4.70 %, Available P (27.05 mg kg-1), Exch. Ca (6.492 cmolc kg-1), Exch. Mg (3.942 cmolc kg-1), Exch. K (0.953 cmolc kg-1), Exch. Na (0.06 cmolc kg-1), Exch. H (1.2 cmolc kg-1) and CEC (28.4 cmolc kg-1) with its exch. Al in trace amount (<0.001 cmolc kg-1). The soil under CCF despite been under low cover, did not show much degenerate due to the shifting cultivation being practice in the study location. However, the result obtained from the study indicated that the different land covers especially that under plantain plantation (PP) has affected the soils fertility at different rate. A factor strongly controlled by high content of organic materials, a dense vegetative cover which mitigates erosion effects and the addition of ash as a means of fertilizing the soils under plantain plantation being practice in the study area.