Abstract
A study was conducted at Ongot in the humid forest zone (HFZ) of Cameroon to determine the extent to which selected soil quality indicators are affected by cassava cultivation along a chronosequence of 5, 10 and 20 years. Soil samples were collected from cassava farms along this chronosequence and from a nearby forest as reference. The samples were analyzed for soil organic matter (SOM), organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN) and pH. SOM, OC and TN decreased significantly (P<0.05) following years of cassava cultivation. Thus after 20 years of cultivation, SOM and OC contents reduced by 50% compared to the reference (SOM=35.08 g kg-1, OC=20.39 g kg-1). TN decreased from 2.19 g kg-1 in the reference to 1.24 g kg-1 in farms where cassava has been cultivated for 20 years. Soil pH ranged from 5.4 to 5.6 but did not differ (P<0.05) irrespective of years of cassava cultivation. Generally, significant differences in soil quality indicators were not observed between the forest soil and soils from five-year old cassava farms. This could imply that management strategies to improve soil quality in the HFZ of Cameroon are warranted mainly after four years of cassava cultivation.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
