PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF COASTAL PLAIN SANDY SOIL

ABSTRACT

Soils on coastal plain sands are referred to as fragile sandy and acidic soils of low base saturation, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and fertility, as evidenced by the extensive land degradation. This necessitated the need to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of coastal plain sandy soil in a cattle paddock in Benin city with a view for proper management and sustainable use. Three points was randomly selected at three different depths 0-15, 15-30, 30-60 was taken of the study area underlain by the coastal plain sands. The results showed that the topsoil of the soils was generally sandy, with relatively more sandy topsoil and clayey subsoil. The pH ranged from extremely acidic (<4.4) in the control soil to slightly acidic (7.5) in the paddock site. The soil in the control site was observed to have low organic matter, low total nitrogen, low effective CEC, low Al saturation and low base saturation while the soil in the cattle paddock had medium to high organic matter, organic carbon, Total nitrogen and Available phosphorus. Though the soil in the control site had low nutrient, the soils can still produce increased and sustainable agricultural yield if the appropriate land use and husbandry practices are adopted.