EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF MACRONUTRIENT CONTENTS OF CASSAVA LEAVES COMPOSTED AGRICULTURAL SOIL
ABSTRACT
Agricultural Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and countless organisms that together support life on earth. The use of compost or organic manure is currently being advocated as an option for improving soil fertility.
The method used in carrying out this analysis for cyanide, macronutrient (N,P,K) are titrimetric method, NO3 – UV spectrophotometric method, vanadomolybdo phosphorus acid method, and direct air-acetylene flame method respectively.
From the experimental analyses, the result obtained for the test of macronutrient (N,P,K) ranges from (-0.01 to 354.956) which shows that there was an increase in macronutrient before composting, after the composting process, there was a decrease in macronutrient. For cyanide it ranges from (-0.001 to 0.1) which also shows that cyanide was not found in the soil before composting, but after the composting process there was cyanide in the soil. For pH, it ranges from (3.1 to 6.72), with a mean value of 5.605 which shows that the soil was moderately acidic.
Kinetics of macronutrient (potassium) shows that there was an increase in concentration with respect to time, which has a second order reaction, with rate constant (K) of 7.14×mg/kg/day.
Conclusively, from the overall analysis it could be seen that cassava leaves compost has a bad effect on macronutrient content of agricultural soil.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Soil is a major component of the earth’s ecosystem. The world’s ecosystems are impacted in far-reaching ways by the processes carried out in the soil, from ozone depletion and global warming, to rain forest destruction and water pollution. Apart from the atmosphere, the soil is the next largest carbon reservoir on earth, and it is potentially one of the most reactive to human disturbance and climate change(Bryant, 2006).
The chemistry of soil determines its ability to supply available plant nutrients and affects its physical properties and the health of its microbial population. It also determines its corrosivity, stability, and ability to absorb pollutants and to filter water. It is the surface chemistry of mineral and organic colloids that determines soil’s chemical properties. “A colloid is a small, insoluble, non diffusible particle larger than a molecule but small enough to remain suspended in a fluid medium without settling. Most soils contain organic colloidal particles called humus as well as the inorganic colloidal particles of clay.” The very high specific surface area of colloids and their net charges, give soil its ability to hold and release ions.
