Soil Fertility Assessment for Rice Cultivation in Sabuwa Area, Katsina State, Nigeria

0 African Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences Soil Fertility Assessment for Rice Cultivation in Sabuwa Area, Katsina State, Nigeria Musa Musawa Ahmed & Maharazu A. Yusuf Department of Geography, Bayero University, Kano. Kano State ABSTRACT Article History The study analyse the physical and chemical properties and assessed soil fertility for rice cultivation in Sabuwa area, Katsina State. Point-composite soil sampling methods for the Received: 19 February 2020 collection of soil samples between the depths of 0-20cm was adapted. The soil samples Received in revised form: 30 April 2020 were collected from sampled plots under rice cultivation and tested for some physical and Accepted: 15 May 2020 Published Online: 2 September 2020 chemical properties. The fertility was assessed by the comparing of soil properties and the requirements for rice. The result reveals that the soil properties including average clay of Keywords: 31.31%, pH of 4.56, P of 30.26ppm and K of 0.079cmol/kg were found under rice cultivation and are at low level compared to rice requirements. Some of the soil properties Soil Fertility, Rice, Sabuwa Corresponding Author Contact: were found to be at very low fertility level. These include AWHC, Oc, N, K, Ca, Mg and Musa Musawa Ahmed CEC. Analysis of variation (ANOVA) show that calculated value F (2.13) is less than Table value (12.89), that there is no variation among the samples. It can be concluded Email:[email protected] that the soil of the area is at low fertility level for rice cultivation. Application of DOI: 10.11113/ajees.v3.n1.104 fertilizer is recommended to stabilised clay, phosphorous and improve nutrients in the soil, integration of organic manure from animal and inorganic fertilizers should be maintained to increase rice production. 1.1 INTRODUCTION Rice (Oryza sativa) is one of the most important One of the major factors limiting optimum stable food crops in the world. In Asia, more crop production in the tropics is lack of the than two billion people are getting 60-70 detailed information on soil and land percent of their energy requirement from rice characteristics. Soil characterization provides and its derived products. In India, rice occupies the information for our understanding of the an area of 44 million hectres with an average physical, chemical, mineralogical and production of 90 million tons with microbiological properties of the soils we productivity of 2.0 tons per hectre depend on to grow crops (Ogunkunle, 2004; (Geethalakshmi, Ramash, Palamuthiksoli and Fasina et al., 2015). Soil fertility is most Lakmashmar, 2011). According to Ajala and commonly defined in terms of the ability of a Gana (2015) it is valued as the most important soil to supply nutrients to crops (Singh et al., staple food for over half of the world 2013). According to Swift and Palm (2000), it population and ranks third after wheat and is more helpful to view soil fertility as an maize in production on world basis. More than ecosystem concept integrating the diverse soil half of the world’s population depends on rice functions, including nutrient supply, which as the major source of calories. promote plant production. Udoh, Henry and Akpan (2011) reported serious fertility Rice is predominant staple food in Nigeria, constraints, especially P, N, pH, organic providing significant proportion of dietary carbon and K requirements for rice in Nigeria. energy supply, dietary protein and dietary fat. They further added that rice grain is reported Volume 2, No. 1., Dec, (2020), 517-523 |[email protected]| 522 M.M. Ahmed & M.A.Yusuf – African Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Volume 2, No. 2., Dec, 2020, 517-523 to consist of 75-80% starch, 12% water and Thus, despite the popularity of rice cultivation only 7% protein with a full complement of in the area, farmers are complaining about amino acids. Rice is cultivated in virtually all some areas or farms that are no longer the agro-ecological zones in Nigeria. Despite producing significant yields. this, the total land area under rice cultivation is relatively small (Okoruwa, Ogundele and 2.1 METHODS Oyewusi, 2006). Estimate of locally produced 2.2.1 Field Work rice in Nigeria for the year, 2002 was It involved sourcing of information from some 2.9million tones (FAOSTAT, 2005). Also, organisations such as FAO, UNEP, UNESCO, only about 6.7% of the 25 million hectares of Federal and State agencies of Nigeria as well as land cultivated for various food crops were thematic and toposheet maps of the area, all cultivated for rice between 2000 and 2002 were collected. The valuable sources of soil (Osiname, 2002). information could be used to help guide land management decisions, but are commonly Almost all the needs of man are derived from undervalued and underused (Grealish, the soil (Essiet, 1997). It is, thus, of paramount Fitzpatrick and Hutson (2015). Field work importance that this strategic resource be (survey) was carried out to the study area to properly utilised to ensure sustained benefits identify farmlands that cultivate rice. It also and continued sustenance. According to Yusuf involved physical characteristics of the study (2011) tropical soils are not generally infertile, area. These include soil and land use types, soil but infertile soils are common in the tropics. management, vegetation and etc. Declining soil fertility is acknowledged as a problem by the vast majority of farmers who A point-composite sample points of 12m2 were experience it on their farms. It was reported established and five samples at the depth of 0 to by Mortimore et al (2010) that farmers try to 20cm were collected randomly from each obtain organic manure or purchase inorganic point. In this regard, according to Yusuf fertilizers for application in micro-doses. (2017) five samples were collected within the Success in fertilization, thus, depends on 12m2 and bulked as composite representative economic resources (livestock or cash). The of the area. The point-composite samples absolute level of soil fertility declines with the collected were subjected to air dried, put in rainfall northwards in Nigeria. cotton yard bags and labelled appropriately using codes and stored. They were taken to the The choice of Sabuwa area is mainly due to its soil laboratory of Bayero University Kano for location in the southern part of Katsina State further analyses of soil physical and chemical which have unique peculiar agroecology, properties. GPS was used to locate the area. different from all parts of Katsina State (FAO, 2005). It is the most humid part with 2.1.2 Laboratory Analysis agroecology similar to that of southern Kaduna and Bauchi guinea savanna. Above all, the soils The samples were analysed for fertility are darker and possibly most fertile than other indicators, co-efficient of variation and analysis parts of Katsina. This may possibly be the of variation (ANOVA) were used to determine reason for intensive rice cultivation in the area. the variation among the samples (Table 2.1). Volume 2, No. 2., Dec, (2020), 517-523 |[email protected]| 522 M.M. Ahmed & M.A.Yusuf – African Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Volume 2, No. 2., Dec, 2020, 517-523 Table 1: Methods of Determining Physical and chemical Properties of Soil Samples Physicochemical Parameters Methods Adopted Particle size distribution Hydrometer and calculation Available Water Holding Capacity Automatic Hydrometer reading Soil pH pH meter (1:25 water ratio) Total nitrogen Micro kjeldahl Phosphorus Spectrophotometry (centrifuge) and calculation Organic carbon Walkley black (dichromate solution), leaching, titration and calculation + + ++ Exchangeable bases Bray 1 (NH4OAC, Na & K by flame photometer and Ca & Mg++ by atomic absorption, AAS) CEC Calculated by the sum of exchangeable bases Source: Adapted from Eno et al (2009) Fertility assessment is an attempt to device a Ministry of Lands, Survey and Environment, numerical and quantitative assessment of soil 2013). fertility by using nutrients capital (analysed soil properties) using soil fertility indicators or Sabuwa area has an ‘AW’ type of climate as properties (Yusuf, 2001). The fertility identified by Koppen’s climatic classification assessment was prepared by comparing the soil (Abdulrashid, 2013). According to this properties of the area and requirements for classification, this climate is a tropical one with rice cultivation. a clear wet and a dry season. The coolest month is normally experienced between 2.2 STUDY AREA December/January with temperature of less Farmers in Sabuwa reported decrease in yield than 180C. The dominant climatic influence on rice cultivation and high cost of process. throughout the areas is the Inter- Tropical Therefore, soil fertility assessment is the most Convergence Zone (ITCZ), also known as the suited system that can determine the limiting Inter Tropical Discontinuity (ITD). It is a factors to improve sustainable rice production mobile zone where two opposing air masses in the area for economic development. meet. Additionally, despite the fact that Sabuwa local government area is found within Sudan The rainy season of Sabuwa area is between the savannah agroecology, but it has peculiar month of April to October and it has its peak agroecological characteristics interms of in the month of August. The rainfall ranges of climate, vegetation and soil compared to other 7 – 8months (900mm – 1,200mm annual), parts of Katsina State based on average of 10years from 2000 to 2009. It is characterized by conventional rain Katsina State is located in the northern part of fall (dry and wet climate) followed by long dry Nigeria, within the Northwestern geo-political season of 4– 5 months (Meteorological unit, zone (Figure 3.2). Sabuwa is located at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua International Airport south end of Katsina State along Kaya to Giwa Katsina, 2017). road, between latitude 11o10’N – 11o30’N and longitude 6o50’E – 7o15’E.

Load more