Use of Soil Physicochemical Properties in Assessment of Soil Erosion: A Case Study of Agbor, South-South Nigeria

Abstract

The study area is one of the areas in the South-South region of Nigeria that has been ravaged by erosion.This has led to loss of infrastructures and impact on the livelihood of the inhabitants of the study area. In this study, the physio-chemical properties of soils in Agbor and its neighboring communities was assessed in eleven different locations. A total of eleven soil samples, consisting of 5 samples each at a depth of 0 – 200 cm were taken in accordance with the clarification of different horizons. The samples were air-dried, crushed and sieved in 2mm mesh sieve then subjected to analysis for both physical and chemical properties in the laboratory. The physio-chemical analysis results showed that pH value ranges from 5.0 to 6.3 indicating very strongly acidic to strongly acidic. Bulk density ranged from 1.29 to1.35 indicating a slight increase due to the presence of sand fraction. And low level of porosity which ranged from 49.4 to 50.9. The low level obtained from Total Organic Matter (TOM) indicate intense rainfall and constant leaching. The low Ca, Mg, K+ and Na+values indicate intense rainfall and leaching problems. The values obtained fromAl3+, H+, EA and P revealed slight increase and cause of acidity nature across eleven soils test site. The properties showed by all soils revealed that they are vulnerable to weathering, leaching, easy removal by runoff and low resistivity.