The study examined the effectiveness of Gully Erosion Control Measures in Edo State, Nigeria. The objectives are to investigate erosion prone areas in Edo State; the measure(s) were adopted to control gully erosion in the area and the effectiveness of the adopted measures across the study area. The research adopted questionnaire administration and direct field observation as methodological approach. It was observed that control measures put in place in the study area include mechanical methods of back filling, sand bagging, construction of channels and construction of speed breakers. The biological control methods in use are trees and crop planting. These control measures as observed during the fieldwork are partly successful as pointed out by respondents in their respective zones. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address this emerging looming disaster in the State. Subject AreasEdaphology

A B S T R A C TThe issue of gully erosion is of major concern in Nigeria. The study was carried out in Edo state, Southern Nigeria. Edo State was chosen as the study area due to the fact that the magnitude of gully erosion has resulted in the loss of lives and properties, destruction of arable lands and wastage of large areas of usable land. In this study, an effort was made to identify the major gully sites in the area and determined the mean rate of gully head advancement. The result revealed that gullies in Edo North had mean rate of head advancement of 80.30 meters per a year, Edo South 52.03 meters per a year and Edo Central is 17.80 meters per year.

Soil samples collected from Ikokwu auto-mechanic village Mile 3, Port Harcourt, Nigeria were analyzed for the microbiological and hydrocarbon content using standard culture dependent and physiochemical methods. Five sets of soil designated A, B, C, D and E were collected using composite technique at depth 0 -15 cm and 15 -30 cm. The parameters analyzed over an experimental period of 60 days were; total heterotrophic bacteria