Land-use changes from natural ecosystems into managed ecosystems resulted in negative effects on soil properties. The main objective of this study was to determine the influence of land-use system and soil depth on some selected soil properties in Akure, Nigeria. The land-use systems studied included oil palm, teak plantation, uncleared forest, cassava land and sugarcane land. Soil samples were collected randomly at four locations in each sample plot at the depths of 0-15 cm, 15-30 cm and 30-75 cm and the soils thoroughly mixed to obtain a composite sample. Soil samples were analyzed for particle size, pH, organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), Available phosphorus (Av. P), Available potassium (Av. K), Sodium (Na), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Cation exchange capacity (CEC) and Exchangeable acidity (Ex. A). ANOVA (analysis of variance) was used to test the significance of the changes. The results of the study indicated that, the pH of the land use areas ranges from 4.8 to 6.5 and the soil was sandy. Cassava and sugarcane land resulted in significant decreases in OM, TN, Av. P, Av. K, Ca, Mg, Na and CEC, while the exchangeable acid was high in cassava land, Whereas, the highest values of the same parameters were found under uncleared forest, oil palm and teak plantation land. The results of the study showed that forest clearing and subsequently cultivation and tillage Practices resulted in the decline of the soil quality in cassava and sugarcane land and these changes affect soil properties. Therefore, there should be integrated land management options for different land-use systems to sustain agricultural productivity.
