ASSESSMENT OF CHANGES IN SOIL PROPERTIES UNDER DIFFERENT LANDUSES IN PART OF BIU PLATEAU, BORNO, NIGERIA

Abstract

There is a growing concern on the diminishing quality of soil resources occasioned by changes in land use which has resulted in loss of vegetation cover, changes in fertility status of soil, disturbance of soil structure, soil erosion and reduction in productive potential of the soils. This study assesses changes in selected soil physicochemical parameters under different land uses. Soil samples were drawn from four land use categories viz, cultivated land, scrubland, forested land and bare surface across five settlements in the study area. For each land use category at the study sites, surface soil samples were augered at 0-15 cm depth. A total of 20 composite samples were collected from 80 plots within the four land use categories in the study settlements and from which one kilogram (1kg) each was taken to the laboratory for analysis. The results showed that soil organic matter and soil texture were significantly affected by land use change (P< 0.05) and soil organic matter declined following deforestation and continuous cultivation with a mean of 2.03 g/kg- recorded for forest land and 1.41 g/kg- for cultivated land while scrubland and bare surface recorded 1.34 g/kg- and 1.25 g/kg- respectively. The soil texture was generally sandy clay. In contrast, pH, soil moisture content, cation exchange capacity, bulk density and porosity were not significantly (P > 0.05) different, although comparisons between cultivated land, forest land, scrubland and bare surface revealed some degree of difference for the physicochemical parameters. Soil pH is slightly acidic (6.68-6.33), relatively high bulk density (1.49 g/cm -1.44 g/cm ), and medium to low mean porosity values (42-44%). The mean moisture content is highest in cultivated land (23.76%) and lowest in bare surface (15.38%). CEC values for cultivated and bare surface are low (10.47cmol/kg ) and (8.79 cmol/kg ) respectively. Findings from this study showed that the soils are acidic with generally low organic matter content and low porosity with high bulk density over cultivated, scrubland, and forest land use respectively. Recommendations made based on the findings include integrated use of inorganic and organic fertilizers and application of liming and soil conservation practice amongst others.