Variability in Selected Soil Physico-chemical Properties of Five Soils Formed on Different Parent Materials in Southeastern Nigeria

Different soil individuals require different land use and management practices for optimum performance and yield. This is only possible if there is adequate information on the physico-chemical properties of the soil type in question. Too frequently, farmers and other land users in the Southeastern Nigeria have treated or handled the soils of this sub region in a similar manner, wrongly believing that all the soils are the same. This wrong notion and approach has often led to seriously low return on investment, both for agricultural production and other land use types. Studies were carried out in 2001 and 2002 on five representative profiles derived from five different parent materials, namely basement complex rock, sandstone, basalt, shale and coastal plain sands, to provide information on the physico-chemical properties of the soils derived from the various parent materials. Samples were collected from the genetic horizons of the modal profiles and then subjected to routine analysis and for iron and aluminum contents. The results showed that the soils differ in their physico-chemical properties and these differences have very significant soil management implications. The information provided will hopefully lead to a more profitable and sustainable manner of exploiting the soil resources by the various land users.