Geo-multivariate analysis of crop yield and soil properties of students industrial training farm in Ado Ekiti, Southwest Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Relating crop yield to soil properties at the field scale is a tool in site-specific management planning for sustainable crop production. This study investigated the relationship between some soil properties and the yield of three crops (cowpea, maize and cassava + maize) grown on Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme Training Farm in Ado Ekiti, Nigeria using descriptive, multivariate and geostatistical techniques. Soil samples were collected from 0 - 20 cm depth at the centre of 184 grids from a 3.0 ha field to determine some soil physico-chemical properties. Crop yield was collected from demarcated areas in each grid. The descriptive statistics indicated that the soil properties and yield varied widely under the different crops. The cross-variograms showed moderate to strong spatial dependence for the soil properties. The multivariate principal component and hierarchal cluster analyses showed sand, clay, organic matter, bulk density, pH, electrical conductivity, and available phosphorus as the minimum dataset for upscaling soil quality assessment program. The multivariate and geostatistical analyses revealed significant relationships between soil properties and crop yield. These findings will enable optimization of the farmer’s field through specific soil and nutrient management, reduce crop yield variability, and promote a safe environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Sustainable crop production
• principal component analysis
• cluster analysis
• cross-variogram
• crop yield
• soil properties

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.