An evaluation of some selected inherent chemical characteristics of soils supporting the growth and yield of cocoa for fertility improvement in Ghana

Alfred Arthur , Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse , Sapson konlan , Patricia Adu Yeboah

soil fertility; integrated soil fertility management; soil group; cocoa

For cocoa production in Ghana to be competitive and sustainable, there is the need to move away from general to agro ecology soil specific type fertilizer recommendations that take into account the initial soil fertility status and actual nutrient requirements of soils supporting the growth of cocoa. A soil fertility evaluation was conducted between 2012 and 2014 in four major cocoa growing regions of Ghana namely, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern and Western. Ninety six cocoa farms made up of 24 farms from each region were surveyed. Composite surface soils (0-15 cm) were sampled and analysed for selected chemical properties. The major soil groups identified were Acrisols, Lixisols, Luvisols, Fluvisols, Alisols and Ferrasols with the Acrisols accounting for over 70%. The results of soil chemical analyses indicated that most of the cocoa soils have low inherent fertility characterized by low organic carbon content. The soils generally are acidic, and soils in the Western region, had the most acidic reaction. The results suggest there is the need for an integrated soil fertility management approach to support sustainable cocoa production in Ghana. Use of soil neutralizer in the acidic soils especially those found in the Western region is recommended.

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"An evaluation of some selected inherent chemical characteristics of soils supporting the growth and yield of cocoa for fertility improvement in Ghana", IJSDR - International Journal of Scientific Development and Research (www.IJSDR.org), ISSN:2455-2631, Vol.9, Issue 1, page no.249 - 255, January-2024, Available :https://ijsdr.org/papers/IJSDR2401034.pdf

Volume 9 Issue 1, January-2024

Pages : 249 - 255

Paper Reg. ID: IJSDR_209731

Published Paper Id: IJSDR2401034

Downloads: 000347399

Research Area: Science

Country: Abuakwa North, Koforidua, Ghana

Published Paper PDF: https://ijsdr.org/papers/IJSDR2401034

Published Paper URL: https://ijsdr.org/viewpaperforall?paper=IJSDR2401034

ISSN: 2455-2631 | IMPACT FACTOR: 9.15 Calculated By Google Scholar | ESTD YEAR: 2016

An International Scholarly Open Access Journal, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed Journal Impact Factor 9.15 Calculate by Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool, Multidisciplinary, Monthly, Multilanguage Journal Indexing in All Major Database & Metadata, Citation Generator

Publisher: IJSDR(IJ Publication) Janvi Wave

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License and The Open Definition