Soil Physical Changes and Crop Root Growth Following Different Methods of Land Clearing in Western Nigeria

Hulugalle, N. R.; Lal, Rattan; Kuile, C. H. H. Ter

doi:10.1097/00010694-198408000-00012

Cited by 37 publications

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“…tillage practices induce soil compaction, which causes a reduction in the volume of transmission pores (> 0.05mm). This is usually accompanied by either no change or by a small increase in the volume of storage pores (0-OOO2-0.05 mm) (Hulugalle, et al, 1984;Lal, 1985;McAfee, et al, 1989). In this study, however, there was a significant decrease in the volume of storage pores.…”

Section: Extent and Effects Ofsoil Compacrioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

Soil degradation in the tropical lowlands of Santa Cruz, Eastern Bolivia

Barber¹

1995

Land Degrad Dev

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This paper examines the soil degradation processes that are threatening the productivity of the mechanized annual cropping areas in the Santa Cruz lowlands of tropical eastern Bolivia. The dominant process is that of machineryinduced and natural compaction, which has resulted in an estimated 50 per cent of the soils in the Central Zone being moderately to severely compacted, causing serious root restriction and the loss of both transmission and waterstorage pores. Degradation has made the soils increasingly susceptible to moisture stress due to the combined effect of (i) restricted rooting as a result of compaction and the hardsetting characteristics of the soils, (ii) reduced rainfall infiltration due to the loss of transmission pores and surface crusting, and (iii) a decrease in available soil moisture caused by the loss of storage pores, the incorporation of wind-blown fine sand deposits, and soil organic matter losses due to accelerated decomposition rates. The loss of transmission pores has also made the soils more prone to waterlogging in periods of high rainfall. The degradation tendencies of these soils are exacerbated by the greater variability of seasonal rainfall during the last 20 years that has led to a greater frequency of extremely high or extremely low rainfall events than hitherto.

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Section: Extent and Effects Ofsoil Compacrioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

Soil degradation in the tropical lowlands of Santa Cruz, Eastern Bolivia

Barber¹

1995

Land Degrad Dev

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“…In contrast, the highest P b at 0-5 cm depth was measured for the MC-NT and SB-NT treatments. Mechanized farm operations, especially harvesting of the first-season crop, may have caused soil compaction in no-till treatments because of vehicular traffic under wet soil conditions (Hulugalle, et al, 1984;Hulugalle and Lal, 1986). The variability in P b may also be due to differences in gravel content.…”

Section: Deforestation and Land-me Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, the relative moisture content at 5-10 cm depth was 100 for 1982, 99 for 1983, 106 for 1984 and 112 for 1986. The increase in water retention at 0.01 MPa potential with cultivation duration was attributable to soil compaction and exposure of the clayey subsoil due to accelerated erosion (Lal, 1984(Lal, ,1985. The data in Table XIX show that soil moisture retention at 0.03 MPa potential was not affected by the farming system treatments by the duration of cultivation.…”

Section: Cover Crops Agroforestry and Ley Farming Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Intensive burning can also alter aggregate size distribution (Ghuman and Lal, 1989), and decrease wettability. Some of these effects of deforestation have been studied and described for Alfisols and Ultisols in west Africa (Cunningham, 1963;Nye and Greenland, 1964;La1 and Cummings, 1979;Hulugalle, et al, 1984;Lal, 1986;La1 and Ghuman, 1990;Ghuman and Lal, 1991;Ghuman, et al, 1991), soils of tropical America ( Van der Weert and Lenselink, 1972;Van der Weert, 1974;Seubert, et al, 1977a,b;Alegre, er al., 1986), and for Ultisols in Asia (Suwardjo, et al, 1985;Arya, et al, 1992).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Botswana, Soane (1986) observed that mechanized systems of deforestation increased soil compaction. Several experiments conducted in Nigeria showed that mechanized deforestation and plough-based methods of seedbed preparation resulted in a drastic reduction in infiltration capacity (La1 and Cummings, 1979;Hulugalle, et al, 1984;Lal, 1984Lal, ,1985HuIugalle and Lal, 1986;Ghuman, et al, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deforestation and land-use effects on soil degradation and rehabilitation in western Nigeria. I. Soil physical and hydrological properties

Lal¹

1996

Land Degrad. Dev.

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Deforestation and land-use effects on soil degradation and rehabilitation in western Nigeria. II. Soil chemical properties

Lal

1996

Land Degrad. Dev.

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Temporal changes in soil chemical and nutritional properties were evaluated in a long‐term experiment conducted on Alfisols in West Africa. Effects of land use and cropping duration on soil chemical properties at 0–5 cm and 5–10 cm depths were evaluated for five treatments: (1) alley cropping with Leucaena leucocephala established on the contour at 4‐m intervals; (2) mucuna (Mucuna utilis) fallowing for 1 year followed by maize (Zea mays)‐cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) cultivation for 2 years on severely degraded land; (3) fallowing with mucuna on moderately degraded soils; (4) ley farming involving growing improved pastures for 1 year, grazing for the second year, and growing maize‐cowpea for the third year on severely degraded land; (5) ley farming on moderately degraded soils. Soil chemical properties were measured once every year from 1982 through 1986 during the dry season, and included pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), total soil nitrogen (TSN), Bray‐P, exchangeable cations, and effective cation exchange capacity (CEC). Regardless of the cropping system treatments, soil chemical quality decreased with cultivation time. The rate of decrease at 0–5 cm depth was 0·23 units year−1 for pH, 0·05 per cent year−1 for SOC, 0·012 per cent year−1 for TSN, 0·49 cmol kg−1 year−1 for Ca2+, 0·03 cmol kg−1 year−1 for Mg2+, 0·018 cmol kg−1 year−1 for K+, and 0·48 cmol kg−1 year−1 for CEC. Although there was also a general decrease in soil chemical quality at 5–10 cm depth, the trends were not clearly defined. In contrast to the decrease in soil properties given above, there was an increase in concentration at 0–5 cm depth of total acidity with cultivation time at the rate of 0·62 cmol kg−1 year−1, and of Mn3+ concentration at the rate of 0·081 cmol kg−1 year−1. Continuous cropping also increased the concentration of Bray‐P at 0–5 cm depth due to application of phosphatic fertilizer. Trends in soil chemical properties were not clearly defined with regards to cropping system treatments. In general, however, soil chemical properties were relatively favorable in ley farming and mucuna fallowing treatments imposed on moderately degraded soils. Results are discussed in terms of recommended rates of fertilizer use, in view of soil test values, expected yields, and critical limits of soil properties.

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Soil Physical Changes and Crop Root Growth Following Different Methods of Land Clearing in Western Nigeria

Cited by 37 publications

References 0 publications

Soil degradation in the tropical lowlands of Santa Cruz, Eastern Bolivia

Soil degradation in the tropical lowlands of Santa Cruz, Eastern Bolivia

Deforestation and land-use effects on soil degradation and rehabilitation in western Nigeria. I. Soil physical and hydrological properties

Deforestation and land-use effects on soil degradation and rehabilitation in western Nigeria. II. Soil chemical properties

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