Due to insufficient clean water resources, wastewater is largely used for irrigation of vegetables and fruits in many developing countries like Nigeria. As a result of this, vegetables in spite of providing nutrients also accumulate toxic metals and causes health risks. In the present study, the levels of heavy metals (lead (Pb), cadnium (Cd), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu)), were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometers (

ABSTRACT:The groundwater resources of semi-arid region of Bodinga town and its environs within the Sokoto basin of Northwestern Nigeria have been evaluated. Data obtained at site during pumping test sessions which lasted for a period of between 8-12 hours for a total of 67 boreholes in the area of study were used alongside Information gathered from the careful analysis of lithological logs of the drilled Boreholes. The Hydraulic conductivity for the Kalambaina, Wurno, and Taloka formations are 22.00x10 m/s , 8.00x10 -1 m/s, and 1.02x10 m/s and respectively with an average of 3.00x10 m/s for the area. The Transmissivity calculated for these formations are 167.54x10 m 2 /s, 3.02x10 m 2 /s and 3.00x10 m 2 /s respectively while the average total for the area is. 20.30x10 m 2 /s. Specific capacity for the Kalambaina is 140.00x10 m 2 /s/m, for Wurno the value is 2.10x10 m 2 /s/m while Taloka formation have a value of 2.35x10 m 2 /s/m and the mean computed for this part of the basin is 16.30x10 m 2 /s /m. Yield is between 0.23 l/s and 6.7 l/s. The calculated properties show the area to be rich in groundwater resources mainly tapped from the coarse sandy and cavernous/jointed limestone layers. However the high drawdown values recorded in some of the boreholes is attributed to the presence of silt-clay materials which act as aquiclude. The high yielding boreholes are those with thicker and sandy aquifer material and less drawdown, however the area have high groundwater resource that is partly affected by the presence of silt and clay intercalations within the sandy Aquiferous units.

Soil salinization is becoming a more serious issue threatening agricultural production and the sustainable use of land resources. Crop roots are unable to absorb water from the soil when exposed to saline conditions. This study explored the potential of Landsat imagery in detecting and mapping saline soil in the Kano River Irrigation Scheme (KRIS).  Samples of soil were collected from thirty-nine (39) sectors of the KRIS for ground truthing on 20th – 25th April, 2020. Electrical Conductivity (EC) of field samples were correlated with band values of satellite images and salinity indices in order to determine their relationship and assess their effectiveness in predicting soil salinity. Using a geospatial approach, the data was analyzed and maps of salt-affected areas were generated. ArcGIS 10.6 was used as the primary package for modeling and running functions. The result has shown that the EC values over the entire study area are greater than 1.3 dS/m. However, the mean value of EC is approximately 1.91 dS/m. The implication is that, most of the vegetables such as Onion, Carrot, and Beans grown in the KRIS will experience yield reduction without appropriate management practice as their threshold value has been exceeded.

No abstract

Soil sodicity is one of the major threats affecting the quality of soil globally. Soil sodicity problems remain a critical issue of concern as it adversely affects the yield of crops. This study assessed the effect of millet chaff in ameliorating sodium-affected soils at Thomas Irrigation Scheme in Kano, Nigeria. The experiment consisted of three levels of millet chaff application plus a control labelled (M1 = 1.44 kg/m2, M2 = 1.08 kg/m2, M3 = 0.68 kg/m2 and C = Control). The treatments were replicated three times in a Randomized Complete Block Design and rice seedlings were transplanted in each plot. The results showed a significant difference of soil quality parameters in the treated plots. The pH of soil samples was found to be 5.93, 6.067 and 5.5 for M1, M2, and M3 with percentage pH decrease from the control plot (C = 9.49) of 62, 64, and 58% respectively Similarly, the Sodium Adsorption Ratios were 5.723 for C, 0.188 for M1, 0.133 for M2 and 0.112 for M3. Statistical analysis revealed that there was a significant difference in soil quality indicators from plots treated with millet chaff and that of control. However, the study showed no significant difference in the yield harvested between the treated plots and the control. This suggests that using millet chaff for a sodicity amendment has no significant effect on the yield of a rice crop in the study area because all the prevailing soil properties are within the FAO acceptable range for growing rice.