IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i21p9010-d437214.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Delineation of Soil Fertility Management Zones for Site-specific Nutrient Management in the Maize Belt Region of Nigeria

Author

Listed:
  • Kamaluddin T. Aliyu

    (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan PMB 5320, Oyo, Nigeria
    Department of Agronomy, Bayero University Kano, Kano 700001, Nigeria)

  • Alpha Y. Kamara

    (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan PMB 5320, Oyo, Nigeria)

  • Jibrin M. Jibrin

    (Department of Soil Science, Bayero University Kano, Kano 700001, Nigeria
    Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University Kano, Kano 700001, Nigeria)

  • Jeroen E. Huising

    (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan PMB 5320, Oyo, Nigeria)

  • Bello M. Shehu

    (Department of Soil Science, Bayero University Kano, Kano 700001, Nigeria)

  • Julius B. Adewopo

    (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan PMB 5320, Oyo, Nigeria)

  • Ibrahim B. Mohammed

    (Department of Agronomy, Bayero University Kano, Kano 700001, Nigeria)

  • Reuben Solomon

    (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan PMB 5320, Oyo, Nigeria)

  • Adam M. Adam

    (Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University Kano, Kano 700001, Nigeria)

  • Ayuba M. Samndi

    (Department of Soil Science, Bayero University Kano, Kano 700001, Nigeria)

Abstract

Site-specific nutrient management can reduce soil degradation and crop production risks related to undesirable timing, amount, and type of fertilizer application. This study was conducted to understand the spatial variability of soil properties and delineate spatially homogenous nutrient management zones (MZs) in the maize belt region of Nigeria. Soil samples ( n = 3387) were collected across the area using multistage and random sampling techniques, and samples were analyzed for pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), macronutrients (N, P, K, S, Ca and Mg), micronutrients (S, B, Zn, Mn and Fe) content, and effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC). Spatial distribution and variability of these parameters were assessed using geostatistics and ordinary kriging, while principal component analysis (PCA) and multivariate K-means cluster analysis were used to delineate nutrient management zones. Results show that spatial variation of macronutrients (total N, available P, and K) was largely influenced by intrinsic factors, while that of S, Ca, ECEC, and most micronutrients was influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors with moderate to high spatial variability. Four distinct management zones, namely, MZ1, MZ2, MZ3, and MZ4, were identified and delineated in the area. MZ1 and MZ4 have the highest contents of most soil fertility indicators. MZ4 has a higher content of available P, Zn, and pH than MZ1. MZ2 and MZ3, which constitute the larger part of the area, have smaller contents of the soil fertility indicators. The delineated MZs offer a more feasible option for developing and implementing site-specific nutrient management in the maize belt region of Nigeria.

Suggested Citation

  • Kamaluddin T. Aliyu & Alpha Y. Kamara & Jibrin M. Jibrin & Jeroen E. Huising & Bello M. Shehu & Julius B. Adewopo & Ibrahim B. Mohammed & Reuben Solomon & Adam M. Adam & Ayuba M. Samndi, 2020. "Delineation of Soil Fertility Management Zones for Site-specific Nutrient Management in the Maize Belt Region of Nigeria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-19, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:9010-:d:437214
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/9010/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/9010/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mohamed S. Metwally & Sameh M. Shaddad & Manqiang Liu & Rong-Jiang Yao & Ahmed I. Abdo & Peng Li & Jiaoguo Jiao & Xiaoyun Chen, 2019. "Soil Properties Spatial Variability and Delineation of Site-Specific Management Zones Based on Soil Fertility Using Fuzzy Clustering in a Hilly Field in Jianyang, Sichuan, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-19, December.
    2. Tahirou Abdoulaye & Tesfamicheal Wossen & Bola Awotide, 2018. "Impacts of improved maize varieties in Nigeria: ex-post assessment of productivity and welfare outcomes," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(2), pages 369-379, April.
    3. Oyinbo, Oyakhilomen & Chamberlin, Jordan & Vanlauwe, Bernard & Vranken, Liesbet & Kamara, Yaya Alpha & Craufurd, Peter & Maertens, Miet, 2019. "Farmers' preferences for high-input agriculture supported by site-specific extension services: Evidence from a choice experiment in Nigeria," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 12-26.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dam, Thi Huyen Trang & Tur-Cardona, Juan & Speelman, Stijn & Amjath-Babu, T.S. & Sam, Anu Susan & Zander, Peter, 2021. "Incremental and transformative adaptation preferences of rice farmers against increasing soil salinity - Evidence from choice experiments in north central Vietnam," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    2. Martey, Edward & Etwire, Prince Maxwell & Abdoulaye, Tahirou, 2020. "Welfare impacts of climate-smart agriculture in Ghana: Does row planting and drought-tolerant maize varieties matter?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    3. Zainab Oyetunde-Usman & Kehinde Oluseyi Olagunju, 2019. "Determinants of Food Security and Technical Efficiency among Agricultural Households in Nigeria," Economies, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-13, October.
    4. Kilombele, Happiness & Chegere, Martin & Feleke, Shiferaw & Abdoulaye, Tahirou & Cole, Steven M. & Manyong, Victor, 2021. "Intra-Group Heterogeneity Effects on Maize Technology Adoption, and Its Implications for Productivity and Household Welfare: The Case of Village Community BANK Groups in Tanzania," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315387, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    5. Jindo, Keiji & Schut, Antonius G.T. & Langeveld, Johannes W.A., 2020. "Sustainable intensification in Western Kenya: Who will benefit?," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    6. Tolulope E. Oladimeji & Oyakhilomen Oyinbo & Abubakar A. Hassan & Oseni Yusuf, 2020. "Understanding the Interdependence and Temporal Dynamics of Smallholders’ Adoption of Soil Conservation Practices: Evidence from Nigeria," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-21, March.
    7. Aravindakshan, Sreejith & Krupnik, Timothy J. & Amjath-Babu, T.S. & Speelman, Stijn & Tur-Cardona, Juan & Tittonell, Pablo & Groot, Jeroen C.J., 2021. "Quantifying farmers' preferences for cropping systems intensification: A choice experiment approach applied in coastal Bangladesh's risk prone farming systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    8. Martey, Edward & Etwire, Prince M. & Mockshell, Jonathan, 2021. "Climate-smart cowpea adoption and welfare effects of comprehensive agricultural training programs," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    9. Tufa, Adane Hirpa & Alene, Arega D. & Manda, Julius & Akinwale, M.G. & Chikoye, David & Feleke, Shiferaw & Wossen, Tesfamicheal & Manyong, Victor, 2019. "The productivity and income effects of adoption of improved soybean varieties and agronomic practices in Malawi," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 1-1.
    10. Mojtaba Zeraatpisheh & Esmaeil Bakhshandeh & Mostafa Emadi & Tengfei Li & Ming Xu, 2020. "Integration of PCA and Fuzzy Clustering for Delineation of Soil Management Zones and Cost-Efficiency Analysis in a Citrus Plantation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-17, July.
    11. Abdulrazaq Kamal DAUDU & Oyedola Waheed KAREEM & Latifat Kehinde OLATINWO, 2022. "Can Covid-19 Recovery Measure Bridge Gender Divide? Evidence From Impact Of Covid-19 Survival Fund On Household Income In Nigeria," Contemporary Economy Journal, Constantin Brancoveanu University, vol. 7(4), pages 221-241.
    12. Kehinde, Ayodeji Damilola, 2021. "Impact of Credit Access and Cooperative Membership on Cocoa Productivity in Southwestern Nigeria," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315855, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    13. Oyakhilomen Oyinbo & Jordan Chamberlin & Miet Maertens, 2020. "Design of Digital Agricultural Extension Tools: Perspectives from Extension Agents in Nigeria," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(3), pages 798-815, September.
    14. Clifton Makate & Marshall Makate & Nelson Mango, 2019. "Wealth-related inequalities in adoption of drought-tolerant maize and conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(4), pages 881-896, August.
    15. Paudel, Gokul P. & KC, Dilli Bahadur & Rahut, Dil Bahadur & Justice, Scott E. & McDonald, Andrew J., 2019. "Scale-appropriate mechanization impacts on productivity among smallholders: Evidence from rice systems in the mid-hills of Nepal," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 104-113.
    16. Kai Song & Guangxu Yang & Fei Wang & Jian Liu & Dan Liu, 2020. "Application of Geophysical and Hydrogeochemical Methods to the Protection of Drinking Groundwater in Karst Regions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-22, May.
    17. B. N. Shashikumar & Suresh Kumar & K. Justin George & Abhishek Kumar Singh, 2023. "Soil variability mapping and delineation of site-specific management zones using fuzzy clustering analysis in a Mid-Himalayan Watershed, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 8539-8559, August.
    18. Chariklia Kosma & Vassilios Triantafyllidis & Anastasios Zotos & Antonios Pittaras & Varvara Kouneli & Stella Karydogianni & Antonios Mavroeidis & Ioanna Kakabouki & Dimitrios Beslemes & Evangelia L. , 2022. "Assessing Spatial Variability of Soil Properties in Mediterranean Smallholder Farming Systems," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-16, April.
    19. Antonis V. Papadopoulos & Dionissios P. Kalivas, 2021. "Assessing Soil and Crop Characteristics at Sub-Field Level Using Unmanned Aerial System and Geospatial Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-24, March.
    20. Olagunju, Kehinde Oluseyi & Olagunju, Kehinde Ademola & Ogunniyi, Adebayo Isaiah & Omotayo, Abiodun Olusola & Oyetunde-Usman, Zainab, 2023. "To own or not to own? Land tenure security and production risk in small-scale farming," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:9010-:d:437214. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.