Soil Fertility Assessment of The Lugu Main Canal Of Wurno Irrigation Project, Sokoto State, Nigeria, Five Years After Rehabilitation.

Abstract

A study was conducted during the 2000/2001 irrigation season to assess the soil fertility and the pattern of its variation with depth in the Lugu main canal of Wurno Irrigation Project.
Soil samples were collected from four randomly chosen transects across the field at two sampling spots in each transect. The samples were taken at 0 - 15, 15 - 30 and 30 - 45 cm depths from each spot. Soil chemical properties such as pH, total N, available P, CEC and exchangeable bases were
determined. The soils had average pH of 7.09, 6.92 and 6.87 at the 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm depths, respectively. The CEC, available P, and total N were very low at all depths. CEC and total N decreased with depth. Ca and K were also very low while Mg was moderate at all depths. Na on the other hand, was high at the surface and moderate at lower depths. The % base saturation was high at all depths. The soils were low in fertility and need the adoption of proper management in terms of
organic and inorganic fertilizer application and quality irrigation practices to resuscitate and sustain the soil fertility.