Response of soil water transmission properties to three land-use systems in soils of contrasting origin in Ilorin, Nigeria

Ahamefule H. E., Umar Muhammed B., Adepoju Adeyemi S., Amana Mathew S., Wahab Adeshina A., Ukelina Chris U.

Abstract: The parent materials and land-use are key factors which determine agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability by their effects on soil properties pertinent for optimal soil function. An inquest was therefore conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design to determine the effect of soil parent materials and land use types on selected physical properties related to hydraulic characteristics of soils, in Ilorin. The parent materials were sand-stone and basement complex whereas the land use types included forest, grassland and cultivated soils. Results indicated the predominance of sand fraction culminating in a sandy loam soil texture which was not influenced by varying parent materials and land-use. Sand was positively correlated with bulk density irrespective of parent material whereas in soils of basement complex origin, clay was in addition found to be positively correlated with bulk density. Quartz content rather than sand, apparently, was a major determinant of bulk density values in mineral soils. The results also indicated that soil macro-porosity increased by more than a factor of two (2) under the influence of sandstone compared to basement complex parent material. Soil macro-porosity was significantly (p<0.05) highest under forest land-use (5.43%) whereas the least was observed in grassland (2.41%). Soils of sand-stone origin and forest soils had the highest infiltration rate and saturated hydraulic conductivity.

Keywords: Ilorin; land-use; Soil parent material; soil physical properties

Date published: 2020-06-18