Assessing Impact of Soil Physical and Chemical Properties on Erodibility Status in Ukpom Abak River Catchment of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

The study was conducted in Ukpom Abak River Catchment of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria to examine the impact of soil physical properties and organic matter on erodibility status of the soils. Data for the study were collected using the systematic belt transects and the random sampling technique. Quadrats of 5m X 120m dimensions were established with twenty-four (24) quadrats of 5m by 5m. Thereafter 20 quadrats were randomly selected. Soil samples were collected from each steam order at a depth of 0-20 cm and were taken to the laboratory for analysis of some soil physical properties and organic matter content. Pearson’s product correlation, stepwise multiple regression and ANOVA were the analytical tool employed for data analysis. The results revealed that soils of Ukpom Abak drainage basin are basically sandy. The soil is moderately acidic (pH: 5.73) with relative medium mean value of organic matter of 1.36% (critical limits: low: ˂ 1%, medium:1 – 2 % and high: ˃ 2 %) while the bulk density (1.45 g/cm3) is optimal indicating less compaction. Ukpom Abak drainage basin has low erodibility status (0.0109). There was a positive correlation between organic matter and K-factor (r = 0.942, p<0.05); positive associations between sand (r = 0.081, p>0.05), silt (r = 0.158, p>0.05), particle density (r = 0.336, p>0.05), porosity (r = 0.361, p>0.05), hydraulic conductivity (r = 0.207, p>0.05), water aggregate stability (r = 0.005, p>0.05) and K-factor, while negative association exist between clay content (r = -0.246, p>0.05), bulk density (r = -0.308, p>0.05), soil moisture (r = -0.258, p>0.05) and K-factor.