Classification of Soils Derived from Amphibolite Parent Material in South-Western Nigeria
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Classification of soils derived from amphibolite parent material in south-western Nigeria B. A. OSEl & T. A. OKUSAMI Department afSoil Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, lle-lfe, Nigeria (B.A. 0. ~ present address: Department ofSoil Science, School ofAgriculture, University of Cape Coast, Ghana) SUMMARY RESUME Soils formed from amphibolite parent material in south OSEI, B. A. ; Classification de sols pravenant de matiere western Nigeria were characterized and classified according parentale amphibolite au sud-ouest du Nigeria. Les sols to FAOIUNESCO soil map legend and USDA Soil Tax formes de matiere parentale amphibolite au sud-ouest du onomy. The soils had characteristically Jaw silt content. Nigeria etaient caraclerises et classifies selon la legende de Clay and fine sand contents were high. The soils varied 1a carte du sol de FAOIUNESCO et Ie sol taxonomie de from slightly acidic to acidic. Organic carbon, extractable USDA. Les sols avaient une contenance de limon phosphorus and total nitrogen contents decreased with typiquement faible. Les eo~tenances d'argile et de sable fin increasing depth. Cation exchange capacity (by NH. OAc) etaient elevees. Les sols variaient de legerement aeide a values of the soils ranged from 2.32 to 15.19 cmol(+)/kg acide. Les contenances de carbone organique, de phosphore soil. Base saturation (on CEC by NH. OAc) basis) values extractible et d'azote total diminuaient avec la croissance were quite high (35.4-87.7%). According to FAOIUNESCO en profondeur. Les valeurs de la capacite (par NH. OAe) soil map legend, the soil at the summit was Rhodic Ferralsol d'echange de cation des sols se sont rangees de 2.:32 a 15.19 while the soil of the upper slope belonged to Ferric Acrisol. cmol (+)/kg. de sol. Les valcurs de saturation base (base sur Soils of the middle and lower slopes of the toposequence CEC par NH. OAe) etaient asscz elevees (35.4 -87.7 pour were classified as Rhodic Nitisol and Haplic Lixisol respec cent). Selon la legende de la carte du sol de FAOIUNESCO, tively. The valley bottom soil was Gleyie Lixisol. All the Ie sol au sommet elait Rhodic Fcrralsol alors que Ie sol a la soils belonged to Ultisol of Soil Taxonomy except the soil montee de l'inolinaison apartenait a Ferric Acrisol. Les sols of the summit which was classified as Oxisol. du milieu et de ladescente des inclinaisons de la toposequence etaient respectivement classifies comme Rhodic Nitisol et Haplic Lixisol. Le sol au fond de la vallee etait Gleyic Original scientific paper. Received 19 Jan 93; revised 17 Lixisol. Tous les sols appartenaient aultisol de sol taxonomie Mar 94. saur Ie sol au sammet qui etait classifie oxisol. Introduction for agricultural production. It has been observed that great demands are being Soils ofsouth-western Nigeria have been stud· made on the soils of tropical Africa to meet the ied and the primary objective of such studies needs for food and fibre of a rapidly-expanding especially in central~western Nigeria in the early population(Harpstead, 1974). Ojanuga(l975)also 1950s was to solve the problems posed by poor reported that the growing population of Nigeria cocoa yield (Vine, 1951). Despite the early studies has called for the need to change the existing small onh~ soils, little is still known of the genesis of scale, shifting cultivation system to a large-scale, some soils ofsouth-western Nigeria (Ojo-Atere & continuous cultivation in order to provide enough 01adimeji, 19~3) possibly because fundamental food. The success of the new system, according pedological research has been minimal. There is to Ojanuga(1975), will depend on a good knowl also scarcity ofdetailed soil profile descriptions of edge of the soils which are a unique base resource soils of the tropics in the literature, according to I Ghana Jnl agric. Sci. 24-27,123-132 Accra: National Science & Technology Press 124 B. A. Osei & T .A. Okusami 1994 Ghana Jnl agric. Sci. 24-27, 123-132 Beinroth(1982). tion. Harpstead (1974) observed that soil survey which is fundamental to land-use planning is lack Field work ing in Nigeria except for few places where surveys Five soil profile pits were excavated along a of reconnaissance type are available. Harpstead toposequence. The soil profile pits were sited at (1974) further reported that most of the existing the summit, upper slope, middle slope, lower slope surveys in south-western Nigeria were not made and valley bottom (Fig. 2). The elevations and with the intention ofclassifying the soils according slopes ofeach profile pit were measured. The soil to the Soil Taxonomy system. In addition, a study horizons were described according to the guide by Periaswamy & Ashaye (1982) revealed that lines for soil profile description by FA 0 (1977) and there is no proper classification of soils of south the horizon designations ofSoil Survey Staff( 1981) western Nigeria according to Soil Taxonomy and were used. Bulk soil samples were collected from F AOIUNESCO soil map legend. The objective of the study, therefore, was to consider the appropriate placement of the soils formed from amphibolite in south-western Nigeria according to the revised Soil Taxonomy (Soil sur vey Staff, 1987) and FAOIUNESCO (FAO-UN, 1988) soil map legend. Materials and methods The ltagunmodi area was selected for the field work. The area lies approximately on latitude 7°34 'N and longitude 4°37'E (Fig. 1). Rainfall distribution for the study area is presented in Table 1. The rocks : of the area belong to the amphibolite complex : (Ajayi, 1980). The native vegetati6n which was Fig. 2. Landform and location of soil profiles in formerly rainforest has given way to secondary toposequence forest and shrubs as a result ofcontinuous cultiva- each horizon. Laboratory analyses The soil samples were air-dried, passed through a 2-mm sieve and then subjected to physical and chemical analyses. Particle size distribution was determined by the hydrometer method (Boyoucos, 7' 30' 1962) by dispersing in 5 per cent sodium hexametapbosphate. SoilpH was measured in soil water suspension at 1: 1 soil: solution ratio using glass electrode pH meter. Soil organic carbon was 1--------.. ----' 7"25' determined by Walkley-Black (1934) dichromate titration method and total nitrogen was determined by macro-Kejldahl method (Bremner, 1965). Ex .... tractable phosphorus was measured by Bray No. 1 Fig. 1. Site location and geology of the sampling site method (Bray & Kurtz, 1945). Extractable acidity Classification of soils derived from amphibolite 125 TABLE I Rainfall Distribution (in mm) of the Study Area Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual 1980 0.0 7.1 27.3 81.7 152.1 105.9 181.0 233.2 337.1 255.2 89.5 1.9 1472.0 1981 0.0 39.7 69.9 177.1 104.1 209.9 174.7 84.7 259.6 241.6 17.4 0.0 1378.7 1982 60.1 38.7 50.2 128.3 190.8 160.21 66.0 39.9 146.5 191.3 8.3 0.0 1077.3 1983 0.0 2.6 0.5 IOS.8 158.7 198.1 142.7 174.6 54.3 0.0 25.3 865.6 1984 0.0 11.3 70.0 144.1 162.5 276.6 169.9 278.2 223.6 231.8 0.0 0.0 1568.0 1985 2.6 0.0 75.1 99.7 229.8 336.1 342.6 103.9 317.9 103.7 17.5 3.S 1632.7 1986 15.3 34.3 97.4 92.3 174.2 93.1 163.6 43.3 222.9 182.2 8.6 0.0 1127.2 1987 2.6 3.2 50.5 80.2 194.1 92.2 182.2 249.3 219.0 163.7 0.0 2.7 1239.7 1988 0.0 51.8 109.4 170.6 112.2 259.1 290.9 145.0 293.9 252.5 6.9 1.6 1693.3 1989 0.0 0.0 93.0 84.8 225.6 188.0 204.9 214.2 218.2 195.1 4.8 1.3 1429.9 Source: Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching and Research Farm • Data not available was determined by BaCI-TEApH 8.2 method. Ex soil profiles at the summit, shoulder, upper and 2 changeable bases (Na+, K+, Ca +, Mg2+) were ex middle slopes ofthe toposequence were evidences tracted by NHpAc atpH7. Potassium and sodium of their good drainage. The reddish colour of the extracted were determined by flame photometer well-drained soils might be due to the presence of while calcium and magnesium were measured by hematite as explained by Lietzke (1966), Davey, atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Cation ex Russel & Wilson (1975) and Bigham etal. (1978). change capacity ofthe soils was obtained by the As moisture level increases and drainage becomes sum of cations (peech et al., 1974) and NH4 OAc poorer, hues become yellower. The decrease in method (Chhabbra, Pleysier & Cremers, 1975). redness ofpoorly-drained soils can be attributed to increasing hydration of iron contents (Torrent et Soil mineralogy al., 1983). The mottledsaprolites ofthe C-horizons In a previous study by Osei (1992), the dominant ofsome ofthe soil profiles (e.g. Ita 03) reflected the clay mineral of the soils was found to be kaolinite. heterogenous composition offerromagnesian min Weatherable minerals identified were feJdspar and erals ofthe parent material as explained by FoIster, hornblende. Ibule, Ijare, Owena and Itagunmodi Moshrefi & Ojanuga (1971). series had less than 10 per cent weatherable mineral contents while Adio series contained more than 10 Physical properties per centweatherable minerals (Osei, 1992). Table 3 tiisplays particles size distribution ofthe soils studied.