Article Sidebar
Article Details
NAJ supports free online communication and exchange of knowledge as the most effective way of ensuring that the fruits of research and development practice are made widely available. It is therefore committed to open access, which, for authors, enables the widest possible dissemination of their findings and, for readers, increases their ability to discover pertinent information. The Journal adopts and uses the CC: BY license and is open access. This license lets others distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the Journal’s published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work. Copyright for articles published in this Journal is retained by the Journal.
Main Article Content
LAND SUITABILITY EVALUATION OF BASALTIC SOILS FOR CASSAVA PRODUCTION IN CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA
Abstract
Pedological study was conducted in soils derived from basalt parent material in Ikom, Cross River State, South-
South Nigeria to assess their suitability for sustainable cassava production. A total of 500ha of land was surveyed
using the rigid grid format and three mapping units were delineated based on similarities and differences
observed in the morphological properties. Profile pits were dug in the identified mapping units. The Pits were
sampled according to genetic horizons and taken to laboratory for analyses. From the analytical results the
characteristics of the soils ranged as follows: soil texture, Sandy clay loam to Clay, pH, 4.3 to 4.4; Organic C, 11.6
to 28.0 g kg-1; total N, 0.8 to 1.7g kg-1; available P, 6.67 to 13. 96 mg kg_1; CEC, 5.91 to 10.59 cmol (+) kg_1 and Base
saturation, 45.91 to 75.11 %. Land Suitability classification was evaluated using the Productivity Index method
which shows that the actual productivity index of the soils ranged from 53.20 to 63.04 %. This is an indication,
that all the mapping units were moderately suitable for production of cassava. For the soils to be highly suitable
(potential suitability) for sustainable cassava production, the fertility status of the soils needs to be improved on.
