Effect of Continuous Cultivation with Animal Manuring on a Sub-Sahelian Soil near Maiduguri, North Eastern Nigeria

ABSTRACT

This study evaluates the impact of continuous peasant farming based on the use of animal manure, on a semi-arid soil in the Maiduguri area of north-eastern Nigeria, by comparing the properties of the soil under continuous farming with a similar soil under a natural savanna forest reserve.

Bulk density and total porosity values were similar in both soils. This suggests that traditional cultivation involving the application of animal manure did not adversely affect soil physical status. The levels of exchangeable magnesium, potassium, cation exchange capacity and available phosphorus were similar in the 0–10 cm and 10–30 cm layers of both soils. However, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, exchangeable calcium and pH were less in the soil under continuous cultivation, indicating a decline in soil fertility. The adoption of soil management techniques to conserve and enhance soil organic matter and nutrients appears crucial to the long-term productivity of the soil under continuous cropping.