Evaluation of Soil Properties under Citrus Orchard Land Use in Southern Guinea Savanna Agro-Ecology

Abstract

Viable citrus production requires good soil management practices. Evaluation of soil properties under citrus orchard land use (CLU) will provide information on soil productivity potential for sustainable citrus production. This necessitates this study, which was carried out at Kabba, Southern Guinea Savanna agro-ecological zone of Kogi State, Nigeria. Five undisturbed core and auger samples of soil were collected at random, from four soil depths (0-15, 15-30, 30-45 and 45-60 cm) from CLU for laboratory analysis. The result of the soil analysis revealed that CLU soil texture was sandy loam, bulk density was ideal (1.31 gcm^-3), pH was moderately acidic (5.7) and total nitrogen was high (0.32%). These soil properties support citrus growth and yield, while soil organic matter (SOM, 1.41%), available phosphorus (AP, 6.11 mg kg^-1), exchangeable potassium (K, 0.27 cmol kg^-1), exchangeable calcium (Ca, 3.05 cmol kg^-1), total exchangeable bases (TEB, 4.88 cmol kg^-1) and effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC, 5.87 cmol kg^-1) were low. The low soil properties therefore, demand better soil management practices geared toward optimum SOM level, in order to improve CLU soil nutrient storage and supply for sustainable, profitable and good quality citrus production.