Journal of Emerging Trends in Engineering and Applied Sciences: Research Areas

Article Title: Analysing Variation in Soil Physical Parameters of Different Ages of Cashew Plantations in the Guinea Savanna of Ogbomoso Southwestern, Nigeria
by Dada Emmanuel

Abstract:
The study analysed the variation in the soil physical properties under different ages of cashew plantation in the Guinea savanna region of Southwestern Nigeria. The study area was selected as the largest cashew dominant area in the Guinea savanna region of southwestern Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was adopted to select the cashew plantation study sites and collection of soil data in diagonal format at 3x3 and 30cm depth in privately and institutional managed farms. The selected cashew plantations were classified into three age groups of 0 � 9 years old, 10 � 20 years old, and above 20 years while two fallow lands at 10m distance to the cashew plantations were selected as control plots. The sum of seventy-two (72) samples was collected for the study; nine (9) samples were collected under each age group in eight (8) plots including the two fallow plots. The collected soil data were subjected to wet laboratory analysis and later to different statistical methods to determine the variation in the physical soil parameters under this plantation. The results show no significant variation at different ages except for silt at 34.5% coefficient of variation in 0 � 9 years old in institutional managed cashew plantation. Analysis of Variation results revealed significant interrelationship variation between 10 � 20 years and fallow plot in percentage silt and clay at 0.004 and 0.001 while cashew plantation of above 20 years and fallow are significant in sand and silt at 0.001 and 0.008 respectively. The study concludes that sandy soil is the dominant particle size distribution of the soil in the area while mature and older cashew plantation and fallow lands revealed significant variation at 0.05% critical level

Keywords: Soil, physical properties, cashew plantation, variation

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