Land Use Management and Nutrient Status of Soils under Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and Oil Palm (Elaeis guineensis) Cultivation in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Human-induced soil degradation is a common phenomenon in Nigeria and other sub-Saharan African countries. The study was conducted to determine the effects of rainfall on physico-chemical characteristics of uncultivated bare soil and soils under tomato and oil palm plantation. The effects of the different land uses on soil physical properties such as bulk density (BD), total porosity (PT), soil water content (WC), and particle size distribution) and soil chemical properties namely: organic matter content (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), phosphorus (P) and total nitrogen (TN) were determined. Sediment loss from bare soil plots resulted to loss of soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (SOC) and in extension loss of soil macro-nutrients such as total nitrogen (TN) and potassium (K). The sand, silt and clay fractions were significantly affected by land uses, soil depths and the interaction of land uses (p ≤ 0.001).  Land use management significantly (p ≤ 0.001, p ≤ 0.01 and p ≤ 0.05 respectively) affected the nutrients and fertility status of the land use types. The results of the sediment yield analysis have demonstrated that the three different treatments led to different amounts of soil nutrients loss accompanying the sediments. Soil management has a major impact on agricultural productivity and ecosystem sustainability as soils differ in their response to different management. The study emphasizes the management of soil nutrients through effective runoff and sediment yield analysis.