Know your soil type for improved farming practice
Soil forms an integral part of every farming system, as such, knowing your soil type is a necessity to ensure that one reaps the optimum benefits from crop production.
It is an established fact that the general fertilizer recommendations in the country may not only have cost farmers more, but often been disadvantageous, thus further aggravating fertility conditions of the soil.
A memorandum issued by the Farm Inputs Support Services Department, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Abuja, in February 2016 reveals that soils in the North West States of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina, Kano and Kaduna all require NPK fertilizer at the rate of 20-5-10 for cereals and vegetables while Jigawa State require NPK fertilizer at the rate of 20-10-10 for cereal and vegetable production.
It further indicates that in the North East, soils in Taraba, Yobe, Borno, Gombe and Adamawa States all require NPK fertilizer at the rate of 2010-10 for cereal production while soils in Bauchi State require NPK at rate of 20-105 for cereals and vegetables production.
Similarly, analysis of soil fertility maps in the North Central region reveal that soils in Niger and Kwara States have a fertilizer requirement of NPK at the rate of 20-10-10 for cereal production while Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa States and the FCT have a fertilizer requirement of NPK 20-105 for cereal and vegetables production.
Dr. Aisha Abdulkadir, a soil scientist from the Department of Soil Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, has said generally most soils found in Nigeria support agricultural activities.
She outlined that majority of soils found in the northernmost parts of the country are very poor in organic carbon, mostly less than one per cent, which means the organic content matter of these soils are poor, adding that micronutrients like iron, zinc, manganese, copper, etc. are hardly limited in these soils because they are needed in very little amounts.
“Predominantly in the North, you have soils that are complex, so the soils are sandy loam to loam except when you go to Fadama areas or lowland areas, there you will have the soils to have a significant amount of clay content which makes the soil to be hydromorphic or have water logged conditions,” she said.
Dr. Aisha explained that although there may be little variations, the predominant soils found in the northern region are bright looking, or reddish which makes them in the Ultisol class, having sandy loam to loamy texture.
She advised that farmers know the recommended requirements of crops, and apply the necessary amount of fertiliser so as not to deplete the nutrient from the soil, adding that giving your soil excess fertiliser is wastage.
“If a soil has the capacity to supply 20kg of Nitrogen, a balance of 100kg is needed for maize optimum growth, but still, 120kg of Nitrogen should be applied so that you don’t deplete the whole Nitrogen reserve of the soil.
“We are always encouraging farmers to build the organic carbon stock of their soil,” she advised.
Dr. Aisha further advised that farmers get soil on their farm tested so as to ascertain the nutrient quality and specific fertilizer requirement of the soil.
She opined that farmers grow more of legumes such as groundnut, Bambara nut, soya beans, and cowpea to enhance the Nitrogen content of their soil, adding that Phosphorus fertilizer is crucial in legume production because legumes require a lot of energy.