SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF SOIL PROPERTIES IN YAKURR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, SOUTHEAST NIGERIA | Asian..

The current state and geographical variability of soil properties in rural villages in Yakurr Local Government Area, Southeast Nigeria, were analysed, and soil management options for restricting soil attributes were suggested. Within the study region, nine communities were identified, and soil samples were obtained from young fallow lands spanning 40 m by 40 m at depths of 0 – 20 cm and 20 – 40 cm, respectively, to represent surface and subsurface soils. The area was interpolated using the deterministic inverse distance weighting (IDW) algorithms in ArcGIS 10.2.2 software. The soils were sandy loam to loamy sand, with clay> silt> sand as the coefficients of variation (CV) of particle sizes, while soil pH ranged between 5.2 and 5.75, and organic matter ranged from 7.4 gkg-1 in Ntamkpo to 20.3 gkg-1 in Idomi, with a CV of 27.54 percent. Total N levels in the soils were usually low, with a CV of 31.25 percent in surface soils and 58.36 percent in subterranean soils. Except for exchangeable K+ and Na+, available P and exchangeable basic cations were rated low but had large CVs, and were classified as P> Mg> Ca> Na> K. In the surface soils, however, the ECEC was classified medium, with a CV of 23.8 percent. ECEC and organic matter, on the other hand, were found to be among the most spatially variable features in the area. To control the usage of agrochemicals, more intensive soil tests and farmer education are recommended, while unhealthy practises such as bush burning and unplanned continuous cropping should be avoided. It was also recommended that calcitic and dolomitic limes be used in conjunction with organic inputs, crop rotation, and bush fallow systems.

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