Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration Under Tree Cropland at Varying Parent Materials and Depths in Southeastern Nigeria: A Geospatial Perspective.
Publication Date: 16/04/2026
Author(s): Ibe Olughu Kalu, Nnaji Godwin Uche, Uzoma Kingsley Chinyere, Amanze Chikamnele Tochukwu.
Volume/Issue: Volume 9, Issue 2 (2026)
Page No: 22-34
Journal: African Journal of Environment and Natural Science Research (AJENSR)
Abstract:
Knowledge of carbon storage in soils across varying parent materials and depths under tree crop vegetation is essential for mitigating global carbon emissions. This study evaluated the geospatial pattern of the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool. The experiment was a two-factor factorial arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The factors consisted of soil depth at three levels (0–19, 20–39, and 40–100 cm) and parent material at five levels: Coastal Plain Sands (CPS), Shale (SHL), Imo Clay Shale (ICS), Sombreiro–Warri Deltaic Formation (SDD), and Mangrove Swamp Deposit (MSD). Three replicates of core and auger soil samples were randomly collected at the respective depths in each study location. Kriging interpolation was employed for the geospatial assessment of the SOC pool, while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the data. Significant means were separated using Fisher’s Least Significant Difference (LSD) test at the 5% probability level. The results showed that soils derived from CPS had the highest (P ≤ 0.05) SOC pool (575.80 Mg C ha⁻¹), followed by those from ICS across the soil depths. The overall trend in carbon sequestration was CPS > ICS > SHL > MSD > SDD. Semi-variogram models and their parameters indicated that the SOC pool varied spatially within and across locations. The findings demonstrate that parent material significantly influences soil organic carbon storage, and that SOC varies considerably even among soils developed from the same parent material. Therefore, site-specific soil management practices should be adopted for different soils and regions to promote sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation.
Keywords:
Geospatial, Parent Materials, Semi-variogram, Sequestration, Soil depth, and Soil organic carbon.
