Evaluation Of Some Local Liming Materials as Soil Amendment in an Acid Soil of Southeastern Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Acid soils can be described as those soils with loose, brownish top soil over a great depth of featureless, non-motled, non-gravelly, porus subsoil, in which coarse sand was the pre-dominant fraction and the clay content was up to 3% (Doyne et al;1938). Obihara (1961) equally described acid soils as being relatively light textured. They have sand, loamy sand and sandy loam texture at the surface. He also reported that the sand content decreases down the profile to sandy-clay loam, sandy clay or clay loam at a depth of one meter. Soils of the southeastern ecological zone of Nigeria are predominantly acidic with range between .3-S.; indicating low levels of calcium and magnesium, unavailability of phosphorus and magnesium in toxic levels (IITA, 1982; Mbagwu, 1989).Soil acidity is caused by the predominance of hydrogen ion + . 3+ 2+ + . . (H ) and or aluminium ions Al , A1OH , AlOE within a soil (w11d, 1993). These ions because of their hyperactive nature displaces other catious from the exchange sites to be used up by plants or leached. Aluminium ion is not only toxic to crops but also reduces the availability of other nutrients such as magnesium and phosphoms (Obigbesan et al; 1981). Acid soils are poor soils with low bultering capacity (W11d, 1993). 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE TITLE

CERTIFICATION

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iV

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vi - vii

ABSTRACT viii

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Literature Review

2.1 Okra

2.1.1 General Description

2.1.2 Soil Requirements 14- - S

2.1.3 Fertilizer Requirement S - 6

2.2 Woodash 6 - 7

2.3 Carbide Waste 7 - 8

2.L. Liming 8 - 'ii