COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOIL NUTRIENT DEGRADATION IN HYBRID AND INDIGENOUS COCOA PLANTATIONS IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA.

Ajibade, L.T.* and Afolayan, O.S.

The mainstay agro-based economic activity in southwest Nigeria, especially among the peasant farmers is cocoa (Theobroma cacao) production. Cocoa could be broadly divided into indigenous and hybrid in terms of varieties. Indigenous type had been cultivated over the decades but for more than two decades ago now, the grown of hybrid has been rapidly predominated. From the previous studies, comparative analysis of the soil nutrient degradation between cocoa varieties are not available particularly those that differentiate hybrid from indigenous. This paper examines the difference between both varieties in terms of nutrient concentration in leaf, bean and pod husk in relation to their impacts on soil nutrient degradation. Multiple regression analysis shows that cocoa outputs immensely contributed to the soil nutrient degradation under hybrid than indigenous varieties in old cocoa plantations. Finding shows that pod husk and cocoa bean are the main determinants of soil nutrient degradation in both varieties. To ameliorate the problem of soil nutrient degradation to the nearest minimum, the study recommends seasonal application of chemical or pod husk fertilizers to complement the impact of litterfall.

Key words: Degradation, Indigenous, Hybrid, Nutrient, Plantation.