Assessment of Humid Tropic Soils for Freshwater Fish Farming Using Earthen Pond in Beeri, Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State

Abstract

Understanding soil characteristics is essential for optimizing freshwater fish farming in earth-bottom ponds (earthen pond). A field survey was carried out to assess the suitability of soils of Beeri, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State for freshwater fish farming which involved soil morphological description and laboratory analysis. Three mapping units or representative pedons (Summit, Middle slope and Valley bottom) were identified and one profile pit each was dug at each identifiable mapping unit and was described appropriately. Results obtained reveal some variations in morphological, physical, and chemical properties of the soils. The soils are sandy to sandy loam in texture with bulk density values ranging from 0.935 to 1.4550 g cm−3. Soil pH values ranged from strongly acidic to slightly acidic (4.89 to 5.47) and had very low to medium organic carbon (OC) (0.21 to 2.14g/kg), available phosphorus (6.31 – 10.52 cmol/kg), exchangeable aluminum (0.2 – 0.5 cmol/kg), exchangeable hydrogen (0.28 – 11.48 cmol/kg), CEC  (0.4 – 8.39 cmol/kg) and Base saturation (50 – 90 %). The results showed that land attributes such as soil physical characteristics in terms of water retention capacity (due low clay content), wetness (oxygen availability) and fertility (pH, available phosphorus, exchangeable calcium and CEC) made the land marginally suitable (S3) to not suitable (N) for freshwater fish farming using earthen pond in the three pedons. Therefore, the land is potentially suitable for freshwater fish farming using earthen pond, but currently marginally and not suitable limitations in wetness (drainage) and fertility (low aval. P, Ca and CEC).