FERTILITY CAPABIITY CLASSIFICATION OF SOME SOILS IN IGUZAMA COMMUNITY,EDO STATE.

ABSTRACT

Fertility capability classification was carried out on 4 hectare (site A) and 12 hectare (site B) of land in Iguzama community, Edo state to assess the native fertility status of the soils. Different soils types were identified through soil survey procedures that produced two mapping units each in each of the sites. Each mapping unit was represented by a modal class profile, which was sunk, described sampled and analyzed using standard laboratory methods. The results revealed that the entire study area had a sandy top soil (0 - 20cm)with sand fraction of particle size ranging from 660 to 960 gkg-¹, silt ranged from 10 to 44 gkg-¹ and clay had values ranging from 30 to 320 gkg-¹. The nutrient reserve was equally low as expressed by the low potassium values ( K < 0.2 cmolkg) which raged from 0.01 to 0.29 cmolkg-¹; and low Organic Carbon values (1.30 to 23.13 gkg-¹). The mean values for; sand fraction in the soils lay within 787gkg -1 – 886gkg -1 , for silt 15 gkg -1 - 26.8gkg -1 and clay from 88gkg -1– 190gkg -1 .The CV of pH for pedon 1 was 10.5 with a ranking of low variability as well as its sand fraction which had CV value of 6gkg -1 . In pedon 2, the pH, Al, base saturation and sand fraction were ranked as low variability with CV values of 6.2, 0.42cmolkg -1 , 13.9% and 11.5gkg -1 respectively. The pH, ECEC, CEC and sand fraction of pedon 1b under site B were in low variability with CV values of 9, 6.8cmolkg -1 , 13.67cmolkg -1 and 5.1gkg -1 respectively. The silt fraction, base saturation and pH of pedon 2b had low variability with CV of 8.37gkg -1 , 12.19% and 4.4 respectively. The result of Fertility capability classification (FCC) showed that mapping units 1a (site A) and 2a (site B) were classified as FCC unit SSa -n -Kem; mapping units 1b(site A) and 2b(site B) were classified as SLa -n -Kem. This indicates that the soils of the study area are quite fertile and application of soil amendments which include Organic manure to enhance cation exchange capacity, biochar and pH adjustment would help to solve prevent high leaching rate of nutrients prevalent in the area and improve the inherent soil.