Abstract
A study was conducted to examine the influence of slope position and depth on soil physical properties in an oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantation established on a gently sloping terrain in NIFOR Benin, Nigeria. A line transect was delineated along the slope of the selected plantation. The line transect was 45 m long and 45 m wide. It was divided into three equal slope segments namely; Summit, Mid and Bottom slopes respectively. Each slope was further sub-divided into three (3) quadrants measuring 15 m x 15 m making a total of nine (9) plots. Random sampling covering four depths (0-15 cm, 15- 30 cm, 30- 45 cm and 45-60 cm) for soil physical properties determination was done. A Garmin 12 GPS was used to geo-reference each sampled point in the field. The soil physical properties considered in this study were bulk density, soil moisture, porosity, saturated hydraulic conductivity and particle size distribution using standard methods. The result of the statistical analysis revealed a significant difference (P<0.05) among the soil properties in different slope positions and depths. Major factors accounting for the variations in the soil properties studied were the slope position and soil depth. Slope position had a significant effect (p<0.05) bulk density and porosity. Soil depth significantly affected (p<0.05) all soil properties studied. The highest clay content occurred at the bottom slope position and depth. The more clayey sites are characterized with higher effective Cation exchange capacity and thus plantations cultivated on such sites would be more productive and sustainable. The findings strengthen the fact that slope position and depth have a strong relationship with soil physical properties
Keywords:
slope position
depth
oil palm
soil physical properties
gps
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