Soil properties affected by soil and water conservation structures (gabions and mattresses) in Ikot Akpan ravine, Uyo, Nigeria

Land degradation is a major challenge to agriculture in Nigeria. Soil conservation practices have been put in place to reclaim degraded landscapes. The effectiveness of these measures in improving soil properties have not been really studied in Nigeria, particularly in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. This research assessed the effect of soil and water conservation structures (Gabions and Mattresses) in Ikot Akpan ravine on selected soil properties. A total of 12 soil samples were collected from the conserved (plots treated with gabions and mattresses) and non-conserved (plots with no treatment). Soil tests to determine soil properties were done. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistics using a general linear model at a=0.05 was used to show significant difference exists between the two landscapes. The results showed that sand (80.84 ± 1.26%, 81.07 ± 1.90%), silt (13.70 ±3.30%, 11.41 ± 2.53%), and pH (6.51 ± 0.26) were positively affected by the conservation structure. However, bulk density (2.33± 0.27g/cc, 2.38 ± 0.16g/cc) and electrical conductivity (00.12 ± 0.02ds/m) were negatively impacted by the conservation structure. Other soil properties such as clay (7.71 ±2.54%, 7.79 ± 1.02%), available phosphorus (30.12 ±4.55mg/kg, 44.81 ± 9.28mg/kg), total nitrogen (0.05 ±0.01%, 0.05±0.02), moisture content (5.48 ±0.96%, 5.68 ± 0.85%), organic carbon (1.97 ± 0.04%, 1.95 ± 0.11%), effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC) (13.85±4.30 cmol/kg, 15.76 ± 2.06 cmol/kg) and exchangeable bases were not affected by the conservation practice. The conservation structure was very effective in controlling soil erosion and reducing soil loss. Soil conservation practices should be encouraged.