Development of a Framework for Soil Physical Quality Assessment under Sustainable Cropping Systems in Southwestern Nigeria

摘要

Two experiments, which were established in 1989 in southwestern Nigeria using managed fallow systems, were used to assess thresholds for soil physical quality for sustainable crop production. One experiment was established on an Alfisol cleared from secondary forest and the data collected between 1994 and 1998 were used for assessing threshold values of soil physical quality. The other experiment was set up on a degraded Alfisol in the vicinity and data collected between 1994 and 1997 were used in the application of threshold values established. Coefficients of variation were 15% for total porosity, 39% for available water capacity, 41% for mean-weight diameter and 13% for the geometric mean diameter. The data and practices suggested that soil physical quality assessment required a wide range of parameters for evaluation given the low to high variations observed. Moderate but sustainable crop yields can be achieved with soil physical quality under managed fallow systems or low-input technologies.