IMPACT OF SOIL PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES ON MINERAL COMPOSITION OF CASSAVA SAMPLES FROM IKWO LGA OF EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Physicochemical properties of soil samples from Ikwo LGA of Ebonyi State were investigated for their impact on mineral composition of cassava samples. Standard methods were used for analyses. Sixteen soil samples and eight cassava samples were used for the research. The results of the soil physicochemical analysis were sand 67.73%, silt 16.77%, clay 15.5%, pH 7.45, organic carbon 1.62%, organic matter 2.79%, exchangeable acidity (EA) 1.13 mg/kg, effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) 9.71 mg/kg and base saturation (BS) 88.39 %, for topsoil. For subsoil, sand 60.73 %, silt 17.27 %, clay 22.00 %, pH 5.32, organic carbon 1.15 %, organic matter 1.98 %, EA 1.14 mg/kg, ECEC 9.23 mg/kg and BS 87.38 %. The soil texture was sandy loam for the top and subsoil. The result of soil mineral analyses (mg/kg) were Ca 5.20, Mg 3.00, K 0.19, Na 0.18, P 55.35 and N 0.15 for topsoil; while those of subsoil were Ca 5.07, Mg 2.67, K 0.17, Na 0.18, P 41.68 and N 0.11. The result of soil heavy metal analysis (mg/kg) showed that all the heavy metals are within EPA Standard. The result of the cassava mineral analysis (mg/kg) were Ca 3.76, Mg 1.19, K 0.849, Na 0.24-0.26, N 1.05 and P 0.46. The result of cassava heavy metal analysis (mg/kg) showed that all the heavy metals are within EPA Standard. There was correlation between the soil physicochemical properties and the mineral concentrations of the cassava samples. There was also correlation between the soil physicochemical properties and heavy metal concentration of the cassava samples.