Abstract
In this study, physico-chemical properties of 2 differentially located grassland soils which were subjected to different economic usages, were assessed. The study was carried out for grassland soils of Ogbole-Ogume (excavation) and Abbi (Cultivation), both in Ndokwa West LGA of Delta State, Nigeria. The soils were collected at the road margin (0m), 30m into the grasslands and 10m away from the end of the grasslands at a depth of about 10.30m each from the soil surfaces. Soil characteristics as pH, Mg, Ca, Na, K, EC, CEC, SO₄, P, N, clay, silt and sand contents were analyzed following standard procedures and methodologies. At margins, soils from Ogbole-Ogume and Abbi contained 94.5% and 91.0% sand; at 30m into the grasslands, both were 93.0% sand while at 10m beyond the grassland soils, 93.0% and 90.0% sand were recorded for Ogbole-Ogume and Abbi, respectively. Comparatively, physico-chemical parameters investigated in this study showed variations between both sampled sites as parameters like pH, Mg, Ca, K, CEC, P and N were generally higher in Abbi than in Ogbole-Ogume grassland soils. This clearly indicated that crop cultivation at Abbi grassland soils must have significantly impacted more on the physico-chemical properties of the soils than excavation activities as practiced at Ogbole-Ogume grassland soils. This has strong indications for food security and environmental health.
Highlights
Soils constitute significant portions of the solid parts of the earth crust upon which many plants grow
Values of soil pH in both locations showed that Ogbole Ogume grassland soils showed 5.37±0.31 while Abbi grassland soils stood at 5.80±029 with coefficient of variation of 0.06 and 0.05, (Table 2) respectively
Analyses carried out in this present study has shown that soil types in grasslands of both study areas conformed to those of global soils through being predominantly composed of sandy-loam soils that were acidic in nature
Summary
Soils constitute significant portions of the solid parts of the earth crust upon which many plants grow. Soil could be defined as the portion of the earth’s crust formed from the decomposition of rocks and minerals, through physical, chemical and biotic factors and in which the roots of plants grow [1]. The formation of soil has been described to be a continuous and time-dependent process that may require hundreds and thousands of years to reach a stage where the type of soil evolved usually attains equilibrium with the surrounding conditions [1]. Grasslands are thought to have deep soils that are very nutrient-rich because of the amounts of plant tissues (biomass) that die-off and are usually added to the soil through decomposition every year [3]. Grasslands, have due to human influences, Amukali Ogochukwu et al.: Comparative Assessment of Physico-chemical Characteristics of Two Grassland Soils
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