Pedogenic and Contemporary Issues of Fluvisol Characterization and Utilisation in the Wetlands......

Fluvisols in urban wetlands in Cameroon's Bamenda Municipality are critical for vegetable production, but they are under severe stress. To identify the soils, evaluate their agro-utilization restrictions, and offer adequate data for planning sustainable land management, morphological and/or physico-chemical characterization of seven representative soil profiles and 21 surface soil samples were performed. Standard techniques were used to evaluate the soil samples. Critical levels for tropical crops and vegetables were used to declare soil nutrient insufficiency. The coefficient of variation was utilised as a metric of soil variability, while principal component analysis was used to identify sources of soil variation and subsequent grouping into management units. The Humi-umbric fluvisols are formed from juvenile granitic alluvio-colluvial material. Organic matter, like other physico-chemical parameters, changed unevenly down the profile. Except for pH, which was moderately (CV=15-35%) to highly (CV>35%) variable, most soil parameters were moderately (CV=15-35%) to highly (CV>35%) variable. Some of the correlation coefficients between soil characteristics were highly significant (p0.01), ranging from - 0.95 to 0.99, while the majority of them were less than 0.5. Six principle components (PCs) that were used to organise soils into management units explained 96.2 percent of the variability in soil attributes. The PCs were: mineral neo-synthesis factors, base status, organic matter, weathering and moisture retention, acidity, dispersal and N-mineralization, and acidity, dispersal and N-mineralization. We recommend that a complete mapping of soil attributes be done in order to create a soil fertility map, and that specific soil management practises be specified for recognised units rather than an uniform management for the entire municipality. Please see the link :-https://www.journalasrj.com/index.php/ASRJ/article/view/30093