Productivity assessment of upland and floodplain soils at Makurdi, Nigeria

A study was conducted using aerial photo interpretation and ground truthing to assess the productivity indices of upland and floodplain soils in the study area. The results revealed that upland soils are low in organic matter (0.36±0.379%), total nitrogen (0.027±0.0206%), and cation exchange capacity (4.3±2.846 cmol (+) kg−1 soil). They are also coarse textured with mean percentage sand, silt and clay of 83.5±7.38%, 5.9±2.67%, and 10.7±5.83%, respectively. The soils have excessive infiltration rate (22.7±10.10 cm h−1) and are susceptible to frequent and often-intense water stress. The floodplain soils have higher comparative fertility status with organic matter and total nitrogen at 1.0±1.03% and 0.123±0.2884%, respectively, and CEC of 23.8±6.315 cmol (+) kg−1 soil. They have moderate infiltration rate of 3.2±3.05 cm h−1 and medium soil texture with sand, silt and clay percentages of 41.5±11.22%, 23.7±11.20% and 35.0±6.79%, respectively. The soil management implications of these properties are discussed. The soils and socio-economics of the study area require high intensity use of organic materials.