By Agbatah Chinwe Vivian
Human survival has always been threatened by scarcity of food. This is not
because of the reduced capacity of the human population to produce food but
the inability of the soil to match the production rate (Brady and Weil,l996).Man
has depended on soil for his civilization and survival. It is mainly in the soil that
enan grows his crops for the supply of food, feed, fiber and raw materials for his
industries. Soil as a natural resources endowed on man is of great importance
because a nation that toys with her soillland resources would consequently find
her future encaged in poverty ,malnutrition, confusion, and eventual total
collapse (Asadu, 1 990).
Soil fertility refers to the ability of a soil to support plant growth through
providing water, nutrients and a growth medium. Soil fertility may also be
referred to as the amount of nutrient elements and organic matter or humus
present in the soil.