Influence of Seasons on Soil Properties under Oil Palm Cultivation in a Coastal Plain Sands Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

the plantation on the soil. This study provides information that will bridge the gap and aid in conservation and management of oil palm. Therefore, the general objective of this study was to Abstract: The study was to assess the Influence of Seasons on soil properties under oil palm cultivation in a coastal plain sands area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Four locations with the same parent material were identified; oil palm block of 57 years (B-57), 39 years (B-39) and 17 years (B-17) and a no oil palm block (B-0) as control. Three pits were sunk in each location and soil samples collected for both dry season and wet season. The result from the laboratory and statistical analysis showed that 32.3 %, 38.7 %, 29 % and 29 % of the soil properties were significantly (p< 0.05) higher in the dry season compared to the wet season, while 6.5%, 6.5%, 12.9 % and 19.4 % of the soil properties were significantly (p< 0.05) higher in the wet season than in the dry season in B-0, B-17, B-39 and B-57 respectively. Generally, particle sizes were not significantly different in the two seasons of all the blocks, whereas many of the soil chemical properties significantly changed with change in seasons. Therefore, taking the season and existing cropping system into consideration when soil quality assessment is carried out will produce a more realistic and reliable result.