Skip to main content
Log in

Effect of some biological factors on soil variability in the tropics

I. Effect of pre-clearing vegetation

  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Field observations were carried out on an Egbeda soil series in western Nigeria to study the degree of soil-nutrient variability within and between plots due to pre-clearing vegetation. The soil showed lower soil pH, organic C, exchangeable K and Ca contents following cassava grown by traditional methods than following secondary forest vegetation or thicket regrowth. Except for exchangeable K, the degree of variability of the above parameters was observed to be in the following order: secondary forest vegetation > thicket regrowth > cassava plots. The available P status was generally low and showed little relation to pre-clearing vegetation. The implications of soil variability due to pre-clearing vegetation on soil sampling and in field experimentation are discussed. re]19760204

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Ahn, P. M., The heterogeneity of West African soils and their sampling for chemical analysis. Proc. 2nd. FAO Conf. on Soil Fertility in West Africa, Dakar (1965).

  2. Beckett, P. H. T. and Webster, R., Soil variability: A Review. Soils Fert. 34, 1–15 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Dancette, C. and Poulain, J. F., Influence of Acacia albida on pedoclimatic factors and crop yields. Afr. Soils 14, 143–182 (1969).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Gerakis, P. A. and Tsangarakis, C. Z., The influence of Acacia senegal on the fertility of a sand sheet (Goz) soil in the Central Sudan. Plant and Soil 33, 81–86 (1970).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Hedley, D. D. and Kang, B. T., Estimation of plot size and shape for maize field experimentation from uniformity trial on Egbeda soil series. Intern. Inst. Trop. Agric. Ibadan, Nigeria (1972) (mimeo).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Moormann, F. R., Soil microvariability in Soils of the humid tropics. National Acad. of Sciences, Washington, D.C. 45–49 (1972).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Moormann, F. R., Lal, R. and Juo, A. S. R., The soils of IITA. Intern. Inst. Trop. Agric., Ibadan, Nigeria. Tech. Bull. No. 3 (1975).

  8. Nye, P. H. and Greenland, D. J., The soil under shifting cultivation. Tech. Comm. No. 51. Comm. Agric. Bureau, Farnham Royal, Bucks. England (1965).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Smyth, A. J. and Montgomery, R. F., Soils and Land Use in Central western Nigeria. Government Printer, Ibadan, Western Nigeria (1962).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kang, B.T., Moormann, F.R. Effect of some biological factors on soil variability in the tropics. Plant Soil 47, 441–449 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011502

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011502

Keywords

Navigation