Farm sites evaluation through GIS and soil analysis for coffee production in two sub-urban communities in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Virgin forests for tree crop cultivation are scarce and farmers depend on arable lands for tree cropping in Nigeria. The use of GIS and conventional soil analysis were made to evaluate three sites under different land uses for their possible usage for Coffee cultivation. Climatic elements that do influence bio-physical processes, growth and plants development, pests and dieases status were considered. The Atan-Ijaye sites had elevation of 243.24-265.47m with slope <12°, while Apata site elevation was 184.98-205.41m with slope ≥15°. The 2006-2015 rainfall was adequate for mature Coffea but not for young seedlings due to uneven distribution. The Atan-Ijaye soil organic C contents were higher than critical value of 9.00g/kg but lower for Apata site. The soil texture was sandy loam but the silt + clay contents were lower at Apata site than critical range (300-320g/kg). Hence, Atan-Ijaye soils need minimum irrigation support compared to Apata soils. Soil pH was slightly acidic but within ranges suitable for Coffea. The soil available P (8.38–104.0mg/kg) was greater than 6.0mg/kg critical value for Coffea. Soil total N of 1.18g/kg for Atan-Ijaye plot A was higher than 0.9g/kg critical value while Atan-Ajaye plot B and Apata site with 0.75 and 0.61g/kg respectively were low. The soil K was higher than 0.40cmol/kg critical value at Atan-Ijaye, while it was lower at Apata site. The soil Ca was higher than 0.89cmol/kg critical value but the soil Mg was lower than 0.8cmol/kg critical value, while the soil K/Mg ratio was <2.0, signifying nutrient imbalance problem on the lands. The low soil CEC of 5.20-8.14cmol/kg indicates that applied nutrients would suffer leaching loss without organic amendment. The three sites were  considered moderately suitable for Coffea production but needs good agricultural practices for its sustainable production.

Keywords: Crop production, economic yield, farm establishment, site selection, soil fertility