Agricultural potentials of floodplain soils with contrasting parent material in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper reports the soil properties and agricultural potential of floodplain soil in Obufa Esuk Orok, Calabar and Awi, Akamkpa, Cross River State and characterized the soils to develop a baseline for soil improvement and increased agricultural productivity. Floodplain soil developed on coastal plain sand and basement complex soils were examined with regards to their physical and chemical properties. The results showed that both soils were coarse-textured with a high content of sand exceeding 70 %, giving dominant textural classes of loamy sand and sandy loam. The soils were strongly to slightly acid in reaction with mean surface pH values of 5.54 and 5.43 for soil developed on coastal plain sand and basement complex. The surface soil developed in coastal plain sand within Obufa Esuk Orok, Calabar contains moderate amount of exchangeable Mg (0.8-2.2 cmol/kg), available P (10.0 -11.83 mg/kg), total N (0.20-0.25 %) and organic carbon (2.51-3.05 %) and was high in base saturation (93.11-95.50 %) and low in exchangeable acidity. Conversely, the floodplain soil developed on basement complex in Awi, Akamkpa was rated low in key fertility indicators. Hence, floodplain soil under this study notably, those developed on coastal plain soil can be exploited for the cultivation of rice, oil palm, coconut, plantain, pineapple, pepper, fluted pumpkin and sugar cane with judicious application of lime, and N and K fertilizer.

Keywords: Floodplain Soil, Soil Fertility, Coastal Plain Soil, Basement Complex