ASSESSMENT OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICOCHEMICAL CONDITIONS OF ARABLE LAND AND PREVALENCE OF RICKETS DISEASE IN CHIKUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA
ASSESSMENT OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICOCHEMICAL CONDITIONS OF ARABLE LAND AND PREVALENCE OF RICKETS DISEASE IN CHIKUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA
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Date
2016-07
Authors
BALOGUN, John Kehinde
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Abstract
This work is an assessment of the physicochemical conditions of arable land and prevalence of rickets disease. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the physicochemical conditions of arable land and prevalence of rickets in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The set objectives were: to determine and compare some key physicochemical properties of arable land upland and Fadama (lowland) soils between rickets infected areas and non-rickets infected area; determine the level of calcium in the selected plant residues of the study area; and to establish the extent of dependency of calcium in the measured soil physicochemical properties.
30 soil samples were collected across the three communities of the study area during the dry season. Plant residues of maize, sorghum and rice were collected from the study areas of Kafari, Kaso Sarki and Tsohon Kaso. The samples were analysed in the laboratories of Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) Samaru, Zaria and Multiuser Student Research Laboratory (MUSRL), Department of Chemistry, ABU, Zaria.
The soils of the study area range from moderately acidic to neutral as such leaching is prevalent in the study area. The calcium, Ca content varied between 1.52 to 4.56cmol/kg-1as shown by the analysis of variance .The Magnesium, Mg content ranges from 0.77cmol/kg-1 to 2.3cmol/kg-1 and are prone to leaching though they seem moderate at the time of this research. The Potassium, K contents of the communities ranges from 0.10 to 0.24cmol/kg-1. The soils are low in K, Ca and Mg but it does not seem that they are responsible for calcium deficient rickets. Due to inadequate comparable reference values, it was not possible to link the physicochemical properties of soils in the study area to calcium deficient rickets.
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A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THEREQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD
OF
MASTERS OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN GEOGRAPHY
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY,
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
NIGERIA
Keywords
ASSESSMENT,, RELATIONSHIP,, PHYSICOCHEMICAL CONDITIONS,, ARABLE LAND,, PREVALENCE,, RICKETS DISEASE,, CHIKUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA,, KADUNA STATE,, NIGERIA