On The Combined Utilization of Neem Leaf Powder and Wood Ash in Acidic Soil Remediation in the Southeast of Nigeria

Nwachikere Gideon Chukwum¹

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.9 , Issue.9 , pp.61-67, Sep-2023

Online published on Sep 30, 2023

Copyright © Nwachikere Gideon Chukwum . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
A key barrier to agricultural productivity is soil fertility, particularly in tropical regions like the southeast of Nigeria with their typical acidic soil. These soils` key traits are their low pH, low amounts of organic matter, deficit in Ca, Mg, P, or Mo, toxicity from Al or Mn, or both, and extremely poor rates of mineralization and nitrification. According to research, applying lime to soil is often advised to reduce soil acidity. Low-income farmers in the tropics cannot afford it, though. In an effort to address this issue, other options have proven effective, including the use of organic waste materials (compost), which is less expensive for low-income farmers, and perhaps harmful to a sustainable ecosystem. Lime, nutrients, and trace elements may be found in wood ash. The use of wood ash as an additional fertilizer is possible. On the other hand, applying neem leaf powder to crops has the obvious benefit of improving the crops` access to nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It has been determined that adding wood ash to organic substances like neem powder at the correct application rate will increase the soil`s fertility. Combining these two substances may help tropical agricultural soils improve their acidity and base deficiency issues as well as increase their soil microbial population.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Soils, neem leaf powder, wood ash, remediation, utilization, acidity, mineralization

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