Author(s)

Ebrima Sonko^1*, Daniel N. Tsado², Sidat Yaffa³, Appollonia A. Okhimamhe¹, Julia Eichie¹

¹WASCAL Coordinating Secretariat, Federal University of Technology, Bosso Campus, Minna, Nigeria.
²School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria.
³School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of the Gambia, Brikama Campus, Brikama, The Gambia.

The study was conducted in three villages of North Bank Region of the Gambia in 2013 and 2014. We examined wet and dry season effects on select soil nutrient contents of upland farms in North Bank Region of the Gambia. The objective was to evaluate changes in soil nutrient contents in both wet and dry seasons. Soil samples were collected from three RCBD upland fields with three replications at a depth of 0 - 15 cm and analyzed for pH, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), and soil moisture content. The gravimetric method of moisture estimation was used. The results showed that soil moisture content, soil TN, and soil pH are significantly different (P < 0.05) during the two seasons. There was no significant difference in SOC between the two seasons in the study area. The study concluded that soil nutrients were more readily available during the wet season than during the dry season probably because there is more soil moisture available in the wet season that facilitates soil nutrient release. The study concludes that soil moisture has to be available in order for some select soil nutrients to be released for plant uptake.

Soil Nutrients, Wet Season, Dry Season, pH

Sonko, E. , Tsado, D. , Yaffa, S. , Okhimamhe, A. and Eichie, J. (2016) Wet and Dry Season Effects on Select Soil Nutrient Contents of Upland Farms in North Bank Region of the Gambia. Open Journal of Soil Science, 6, 45-51. doi: 10.4236/ojss.2016.63005.