ABSTRACT
Information on soil properties and distribution is critical for making decisions with regard to crop production and mitigating land degradations. This study was conducted to examine the effect of topography on soil properties along a toposequence in Ikpa River Basin in Akwa Ibom State, South Eastern, Nigeria. The toposequence was delineated into three physiographic units and a soil profile was established in each of the units. The profiles were described morphologically and soil samples collected from the identified horizons were analyzed for physical and chemical properties. The soils were examined and the influence of topography on their properties, pedogenesis and classification were evaluated. The study showed that landscape position, erosion and drainage significantly influenced variation in soil properties across the toposequence. The soils or the upper and middle slopes were well drained and deep compared with the poorly drained soils of the lower slope whose depth was limited by high water table at the depth of 90 cm. The particle-size distribution revealed dominance of sand fraction in the area (72.33 – 88.32 %). The soils were generally low (K+ and Na+) to medium (Ca2+ and Mg2+) in exchangeable bases. However, the soils were moderate in, organic carbon, effective cation exchangeable capacity, available P and high in base saturation. Topography influenced variation of soil types with their classification as Typic Psammentic Hapludults for soils on upper and middle slopes, whereas soils on the lower slope as Typic Endoaquults (USDA Soil Taxonomy). The soils were correlated as Acrisols (upper and middle slopes) and Fluvisols (lower slope) in World Reference Base.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Page
Title page i
Declaration ii
Certification iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of contents vi-viii
List of table ix
Abstract x
CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
1
1.1 Background
Information 1
CHAPTER
2: LITERATURE REVIEW 3
2.1 Concept of Topography 3
2.2
Topography and Soil Profile Horizon
Differenciation 5
2.3 Influences of Topography on Soil Type 6
2.4 Effect of Topography on Spatial
Variability of Crop Yield 9
2.5 Topography
and Soil Properties 10
2.5.1 Soil
structure 10
2.5.2 Soil
texture 11
2.5.3 Soil
temperature 11
2.5.4 Soil
pH 12
2.5.5 Soil
electrical concentration 13
2.6 Topographic
and Tillage Effects on Soil Properties Quality and Taxonomy 14
2.7 Topography
and Organic Matter 14
2.8 Topography
and Nutrient Content of Soils 15
2.9 Effects
of Land Use, Soil Depth and Topography on Soil Physical
and
Chemical Properties 16
CHAPTER
3: MATERIALS AND METHODS 19
3.1 Study
Area 19
3.2 Field
Work 21
3.3 Analytical
Procedures 21
3.4 Soil
Classification 23
CHAPTER4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 24
4.1 Soil
Properties of the Study Area 24
4.1.1 Upper
slope (Pedon I) 24
4.1.2 Middle
slope (Pedon II) 26
4.1.3 Lower
slope 28
4.2
Classification of the Soils of
the Study Area 34
CHAPTER
5: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 35
5.1 Summary 35
5.2 Conclusion 36
References
Appendixes
LIST OF TABLES
Page
4.1: Morphological
Properties of Soils of the Study Area 29
4.2: Physical
characteristics of Soil along the Toposequence at
Ikpa
River Basin in Akwa Ibom State 30
4.3: Chemical
Characteristics of Soil along the Toposequence at
Ikpa
River Basin in Akwa Ibom State 31
4.4: Nutrient Rating for Soil Data
Interpretation 32
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Soil
is a vital natural resource for growing plants, food and fiber. Soil evaluation
for crop production is based on the quality of the soils physical, chemical,
and biological properties. The most naturally occurring processes that affect
detrimentally these soil properties and subsequently reduced crop production is
soil erosion, (Aandahl, 1984).
Topography
is one of the factors that influence pedogenesis and this process dictates the
distribution and use of soils on the landscape (Esuet al., 2000). Landscape position influences water velocity on a
slope, variation in drainage conditions and deposition of minerals. This causes
a series of variations in soil properties such as horizon differentiation,
textural contrasts, changes in soil depth and chemical properties (Hall and
Olson, 1991).
Soil
is undoubtedly the most valuable and dependable natural resource and therefore
it has to be managed to maximize its conservation and productivity in order to
feed the population (Olaitan and Lombin, 1984). Studies of soils throughout the
world had shown that the kinds of soils developed are largely determined by
five major factors; climate particularly temperature and precipitation, living
organisms (especially flora, microorganisms, soil living thing and human
beings), nature of parent material, topography of the sites and the time that
parent materials are exposed to soil formation.
However,
the influence of topography, on soil properties has been recognized by most
pedologists, as results of soil obtained from different sites of the same
climatic regime and parent material vary in their characteristics primarily
because of the influence of topography. Juo and Moormann (1981) however,
defined toposequence as a succession of sites from the crest to a valley
bottom, which contains a range of soil properties which are agent of the
landscape and soils.
The
study of soil development along a toposequence at Ikpa River Basin of
AkwaIbomState, will be helpful in providing necessary information required
about the soil properties and the sustainable fertility management practices to
be adopted at the different slope regimes of the toposequence for a sustainable
crop production.
The
specific objectives of this study were to:
1.
determine the morphological, physical and chemical properties of the soil,
2.
classify the soil using the USDA and
World Reference Base systems of soil classification and,
3.
evaluate the influence of slope positions on the properties of soils along a
toposequence at Ikpa River Basin.
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