**4. Nigerian soils and their management for cucumber production**

Nigerian soils show great variability in their properties; from the acid sands of sedimentary rock formation to the basement complex soils and coastal plain sands. pH varies from very acidic (<5 to >7). Constraints include sandiness, shallow depth, acidity (top and sub soil), and low fertility among others. Properties of Nigerian soils selected across different agro ecologies of the country are presented in **Table 1**. The soils have high base saturation but relatively low to medium effective cation exchange capacity and Total exchangeable bases.

Proper management is needed to attain sufficiency in cucumber production. Soil management is the meticulous use of soils through effective and timely combination of factors and practices which can improve soil quality and increase yield. It can be further defined as various activities carried out on the soil to improve and sustain it for optimal productivity in order to enhance food, fibre and timber production. Many agricultural practices affect cucumber producing soils. These include practices such as tillage and planting operations, irrigation, fertiliser application and use of agro chemicals for pest and disease control. Adequate soil management involves the use of soils for purposes for which they are most suited. Requirements for good Soil management includes understanding soil capability for cultivation of various crops, management of problems associated with soils, such as pH, water, fertility and temperature. Problems associated with soil management of Nigerian cucumber soils include inadequate soil survey classification and fertility assessment, lack of communication between land users and government on soil information, absence of conservation practices in farming systems,


**93**

*Soil and Agronomic Management for Cucumber Production in Nigeria*

management as crop performance is highly related to soil quality.

inadequate knowledge of the environment and over exploitation of soil resources [25]. Sustainable crop production can be undermined or constrained by poor soil

**4.1 Soil constraints to cucumber production and the available management** 

Due to the inherent low fertility status of many Nigerian soils and poor availability nutrients for plant growth. Cucumber producing soils hardly have sufficient nutrients for plant needs and optimal productivity of crops. Proper soil fertility is necessary as vine length, and other growth parameters affect the eventual crop yield. Therefore, timely and appropriate application of fertiliser is required to improve yield and reduce nutrient mining and soil degradation. Organic or inorganic fertilisers are mainly used for combating soil fertility problem in cucumber production. However, there is strong advocacy for use of integrated soil fertility management (ISFM). Although fertilisers have the potentials to increase yield, there is need for caution as high fertiliser rates could also affect fruit quality [26]. Use of organo-mineral fertilisers is highly recommended as they more compatible with the nature of our soils due to their slow release pattern and environmental friendliness considering the high sand content of Nigerian

Examples of fertilisers used in soil fertility management in cucumber produc-

a.**Organic sources:** Farmyard manure e.g. poultry manure, cow dung, compost, household waste are good sources of fertiliser for cucumber. Others are poultry manure and pig manure [27]. Application rate of 5-6 t/ha poultry manure is recommended in the Northern Guinea savannah of Nigeria [28], 35 NPK 400 g/N/ha) [29]. Odeleye et al. [30], recommended 5 t/ha in the inland valley, of SWN and 10 t/ha for upland soils. For the arid zones, 120 kg/ha Poultry Manure is adequate, while 80 kg/ha cow dung is suitable [31]. Other soil fertility improvement option include the use of cassava peel and use of organo

mineral fertiliser [32], 20 t/ha PM is suitable in Kano [33].

b.**Inorganic sources:** NPK, Urea, Phosphate and potash. 50-60kgNPK/ha is recommended for the Northern guinea savannah zone [34]). According to [35], cucumber production in Nigeria requires 130 kg/haN, 95 kg/ha P2O5 and 200 kg/ha K2O. It is however important to note that fertiliser application should be based on soil test results. Fertiliser should be best applied at 3–6 WAP [36].

c.**ISFM**: Integrated soil fertility management is considered most appropriate for management of cucumber producing soils of Nigeria. ISFM strategies that can be used to manage soil fertility problems in cucumber production in Nigeria include use of appropriate farming systems and planting of companion crops such as marigold to suppress soil pathogens [37] timely and adequate application of fertilisers, use of cover crops and mixed cropping to allow organic matter accumulation, use of organic manure, compost and organo mineral fertiliser, adequate irrigation to help soil processes, crop rotation. Integrated soil fertility management is the best approach to managing

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96087*

**options**

*4.1.1 Low soil fertility*

Cucumber producing soils.

tion can be broadly grouped into

soils under cucumber [38].
