Soil fertility enrichment potential of Jatropha curcas for sustainable agricultural production: A case study of Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria

Abstract

Trees make essential contributions to food security by enriching the soil and maintaining a good environmental condition necessary for agricultural production to thrive. Jatropha's ability to grow even in degraded soils coupled with its resistance to drought and the acclaimed plant's ability to enrich and reclaim soils and is a good source of oil for biodiesel production motivated this research work. Although several studies have been carried out on the influence of trees on soil nutrients enrichment, no study was conducted on Jatropha curcas' influence on soil nutrient enhancement in the Sudano-Sahelian region, Nigeria. The plant's inherent qualities and the semi-arid nature of the region necessitated this research work. Therefore, the research objective is to determine the soil fertility enhancement potential of Jatropha curcas, using Birnin Kebbi soil as a case study. Soil physiochemical test carried out on the soil samples over the two years of the research showed that samples A, B, C, D, and E had a rise in organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium over the control soil samples by 81.40%, 72.50%, 41.10%, and 38.20% respectively. This result implied that the Jatropha plant grown on the field has a significant favourable influence on soil nutrient enrichment. The soil PH dropped over the period by 17.9%, showing the plant's ability to reduce the PH of highly alkaline or acidic soils, hence its potential application in phytoremediation.