Fertility status of soils of three wetland types in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, was investigated. The wetland types are Inland Valley (IV), Flood Plain (FP) and Mangrove (MG). The soils have silt-clay ratios above 0.15 and 0.25 indicating that they are of young parent materials with low degree of weathering and possible weatherable minerals for plant nutrition. The pH of the soils was near neutral ([6.4) when wet but extremely acid ([3.5) when dried indicating that the soils are potential acid sulphate soils. Organic matter content was high with mean values of 12.59, 6.03 and 3.20% for IV, FP and MG soils, respectively. Total N (nitrogen) was low except in IV soils where the value was above the 0.30% critical level. The C:N ratios were narrow with mean of 20.90, 12.17 and 12.12 for IV, FP and MG soils, respectively. The contents of basic cations [Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Potasium (K) and Sodium (Na)] were low while acidic cations [Aluminium (Al) and Hydrogen (H)] were high. The Ca:Mg ratios were below the optimum range of 3:1 to 4:1 required for most crops. The Mg:K ratios were above 1.2, below which yields of crops like corn and soybean may be reduced. Effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) was below the 20 cmol/kg. Percent base saturation was low (\38) indicating that the soils are potentially less fertile. Exchangeable Al and percent Al saturation were high, above 60% in IV and FP soils. Electrical conductivity was above the critical value of 2 dsm -1 while exchangeable sodium percentage was less than 15. Available Phosphorus (P) and low,\10 ppm and free Fe 2 O 3 /clay ratios were \0.15. Positive correlation existed between silt and ECEC, implying that silt contributed to nutrient status of the soils. Generally, fertility status of the soil is low and would require maintenance of adequate organic matter, application of lime and organic and inorganic fertilizers, drainage and irrigation if the land is to be used for intensive/sustainable crop production.Readers should send their comments on this paper to: BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.

This research was conducted within Uyo metropolis, Nigeria. Three designated dumpsites of municipal solid waste (MSW) were randomly selected for the collection of samples for analysis of the physical and macronutrient contents of their organic fraction. After the waste was sorted, its physical components were determined to be: organic materials (73.7%), plastics/polythene (12.9%), cans/metals (4.3%), bottles/glasses (4.2%), clothes/shoes (4.3%), and ceramics (0.6%). Laboratory analysis of the organic components of the waste indicated that the mean nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) contents were 11.0, 3.2, and 10.7 g kg −1 , respectively. The mean contents of other elements were calcium (Ca) (87.7 g kg −1 ), sodium (Na) (18.4 g kg −1 ), and sulfur (S) (2.3 g kg −1 ). The mean organic-matter content of the organic components of the waste was 223.7 g kg −1 . Both the physical and macronutrient contents of the waste differed from one location to another within the municipality. The high content of organic matter and some essential macronutrients in the waste suggest its high value for use in the production of organic and organo-mineral fertilizers for sustainable agricultural development.

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