Abstract
Cocoyam is an important food security crop in Nigeria. It occupies a prominent position in the diets and farming systems in the Niger Delta region, especially Cross-River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States. A Study was carried out to evaluate the character rustics of the soils of Akamkpa local Government Area (LGA) in Cross River State Nigeria for sustainable Cocoyam production. Free survey method was applied in a reconnaissance soil survey to collect soil samples at 0-30cm depth. 300 soil samples were collected and analyzed. Results showed that the soils are predominantly sandy loam and sandy clay loam. The soils were strongly acidic with pH (H ) range of 4.7 to 5.5, the organic carbon content ranged from 0.98 to 2:03% and total N ranged from 0.06 to 0.17% available P was low ( 6.5 to 13.(mgkg ).The exchangeable bases were low while the base saturation ranged from 42 to 87%. Integrated use of rice mill waste and inorganic fertilizer at a rate of 10- 30tha and 600kg ha ofNPK15: 15 is recommended to ameliorate the soils to sustain good yield.Keywords: Management, soils, cocoyam and yields
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