Assessment of Available Macro and Micronutrient Status in Soils of Mansala-Kayikoro, Kita Mali

Abstract

Background: The soil fertility assessment is crucial for sustainable agriculture and plant yields. The knowledge of the trophic level of agricultural soil fertility is mandatory in order to define the development of food crops due to the lack of soil fertility assessment in this region and the decrease in crop yields. Methods: In this context, an investigation was carried out to study the fertility status of the Mansala-Kayikoro soils and some essential soil properties, such as pH, CEC, OM, EC etc. Ten soil samples were collected from farming areas and analyzed for macronutrients, micronutrients and essential soil physicochemical properties. Result: Soils of the Kayikoro area were highly acidic to slightly acidic in reaction with a low to high organic carbon (OC) content. According to the data, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) was deficient. The available macronutrients such as N, P and K content in the soils were found below the requirement of plant. The concentration of micronutrients such as iron, copper, manganese and zinc was slightly low in the analyzed samples.