Overlooked Influence of Indian Hemp (Cannabis sativa) Cultivation on Soil Physicochemical Fertility of Humid Tropical Agroecosystems: Upland Soils

Abstract

The extensive root growth of Indian hemp ( ) or may imply greater depletion of soil nutrients. Because of Cannabis sativa Marijuana the high demand for various parts of this plant especially the leaves that have smoking value, such nutrients may also not be recycled, impoverishing the soil the more. To empirically support or invalidate this hypothesis, this study compared soil physicochemical properties among uplands differing in cultivation status; land not used for cultivation (NUC), land currently under cultivation Cannabis Cannabis Cannabis (CCC), farmlands converted from to alternative use (CAU), and farmlands abandoned or seized (ABS) at a representative Cannabis Cannabis location in southwestern Nigeria. Particle size distribution of the soils differed under the land-use options. Soil bulk density exceeded the critical limit (1.30 Mg/m ) for crop production in these upland soils under CCC but not NUC, both for which values were lower compared to CAU 3 and ABS. Soil pH, soil organic C, total N, available P, and cation exchange capacity were highest under NUC which had the lowest base saturation. The Ca was lowest in CCC, but soil contents of K , Mg and Na were unaffected by cultivation. Also, copper andCannabis manganese were highest in NUC and lowest in CAU, while iron was higher in ABS than the rest. cultivation could compact the soil Cannabis and decrease plant nutrient levels leading to a reduction in legitimate agricultural production below the soil potential.

Fertility capability classification of selected soils on the basement complex of north-eastern Nigeria

“…The Low ECEC is attributed to the high sand content of the soils (Ukabiala et al, 2021), dominated by the fine sand fraction (Obalum et al, 2012), and this led to the leaching of exchangeable bases, OC and TN. The low ECEC could also be attributed to the extensive and continuous cultivation of the soils (Kolo et al, 2022). In this case, the soil may have been depleted of its plant nutrients, without any plan to replenish the nutrients.…”