Land Suitability Evaluation for Improvement of Banana/Plantain Production in Bayelsa State, Southern Nigeria

With climate change affecting the world, increasing population requires improved soil resource assessment, management and environmentally friendly use of land to support food security. Bayelsa State is known to be one of the topmost producers of banana/plantain but the escalating climate change variability in Nigeria has heightened irregular rainfall patterns, exacerbating land degradation resulting in more severe floods and erosion reducing land available for banana/plantain cultivation. Hence, this land suitability evaluation of some communities land situated on the lower Niger River plain of Bayelsa State through field study approach supported by laboratory analysis. Land suitability classes were determined by matching land characteristics with plant growth requirements. Apart from Elemebiri 3 (ELM3) and Trofani 3 (TFN3) considered not suitable (N2) due to annual flooding, the actual land suitability of the remaining sixteen SMUs were marginally suitable (S3). The inhibiting characteristics affecting land suitability for plantain/banana production included high rainfall, annual flooding, poor drainage, low CEC and low organic carbon. Improvement efforts recommended included dredging of the river systems, elaborate drainage structure, fertilization and application of organic manure/organic fertilizer. Potential suitability classes obtained following improvement efforts included not suitable (N2) for ELM3 and TFN3, and moderately suitable (S2) for Elemebiri1, Elemebiri 2 (ELM2), Odoni 1 (ODN1), Odoni 2 (ODN2), Odoni 3 (ODN3), Trofani 1 (TFN1), Trofani 2 (TFN2), Odi 1 (ODI1), Odi 2 (ODI2), Odi3 (ODI3), Koroama 1 (KRM1), Koroama 2 (KRM2), Koroama 3 (KRM3), Niger Delta University 1 (NDU1), and Niger Delta University 2 (NDU2) as well as marginally suitable for Niger Delta University 3 (NDU3). The flood plain soils of Bayelsa State will have moderately suitable (S2) potential for plaain/banana production provided the relevant improvement efforts are carried out.