Effects of Land Uses on Physicochemical Properties of Soil in Kano Metropolis, Northern Nigeria

The research was intended for comparative study of some physical (Texture, soil moisture, soil air, water holding capacity, and bulk density) and chemical properties (pH, Electric conductivity, Organic Carbon, organic matter content, Available Phosphorous, Exchangeable Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium) of different soil samples studied in Kano metropolis which differed on land use. The locations include Garden (Horticultural land), Farm land (Cultivated land) and Irrigated land (Cultivated land) and uncultivated land (Naturally reserve land). The physico-chemical properties of the soil samples were determined using laboratory methods. The results showed that the level of percentage of sand, silt and clay particles of the soil samples is the major determinant of soil physical properties. Higher percentage of clay particles correlate with higher moisture, bulk density and organic matter content of the soil. The results also showed that the level of percentage of organic carbon content of 0.40%, 0.26%, 0.27 and 0.24% for sample A, B, C and D respectively is highly correlated with other chemical parameters such as available phosphorous, calcium, magnesium and potassium etc. The study found that the organic matter content of the soil determined the pH value of the soil i. e 0.40% with ph of 6.4, 0.26% with ph of 4.5, 0.27 with ph of 5.0 and 0.34% with ph of 5.3 for sample A, B, C and D respectively. Results obtained from the four locations were statistically shown to be not significantly different at p < 0.05.

Keywords: Chemical parameters; Kano; Physical property; Soil; Texture.