Eva uating'Soi Structure and Hydraulic Conductivity by Land Use in Nigeria

摘要

Good soil structure is important for sustaining long-term crop production on agricultural soils because of its influence on water status, workability, resistance to erosion, nutrient availability, and general crop performance (Piccolo and Mbagwu, 1999). Soil structural suitability can be influenced by land use type (Akamigbo, 1999); hence, Seybold et al. (2004) considered soil structure as one of the major determinants of soil quality. Land use produces considerable alterations (Fu et al., 2000), andsoil physical quality usually diminishes after cultivation (Jaiyeoba, 1995). Deleterious alterations could be due to influences of cultivation on soil organic matter content, which is obvious when vegetal type changes (Wang et al., 2001). Mbagwu and Auerswald (1999) reported some relationship between structural stability of soils and some environmental problems, such as crusting, soil erosion, and poor seedling emergence.