Assessing the determinants of soil fertility in cocoa-based (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry systems in the Littoral region of Cameroon

Autor: Nyong Princely Awazi, Azembouh Roshinus Tsufac, Bernard Palmer Kfuban Yerima
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: International Journal of Plant & Soil Science. :52-60
ISSN: 2320-7035
DOI: 10.9734/ijpss/2020/v32i1730386
Popis: Soil fertility decline is a reality across the globe. Soil infertility has led to falling crop yields for both food and cash crops precipitating both poverty and food insecurity. Poor agricultural practices have often been blamed for declining levels of soil fertility. It was within this framework that this study was carried out to assess soil fertility levels in cocoa-based agroforestry systems in the Littoral region of Cameroon. Through the use of a mixed research approach and descriptive and inferential statistical analysis it was found that the most perceived indicators of soil fertility by cocoa farmers in cocoa-based agroforestry systems were cocoa yields (100%), soil colour (90%), indicator plant species (75%), presence of soil macro-organisms (80%), indicator weed species (65%), growth rate/vigour of the cocoa plant (70%), and level of compaction of the soil (50%). Chi-square test statistic (X2 = 15.92, p
Databáze: OpenAIRE