Fertilizer use on cocoa increases productivity, however soil testing is necessary to avoid negative consequences of blanket fertilizer application. Many of the smallholders cocoa farmers cannot afford conventional soil testing because of cost and logistics involved, hence the need for more affordable and quick soil test kit. The study was carried out in four cocoa producing communities in Ondo and Osun states where cocoa farmers were trained on the use of LaMotte soil test kit to analyse for soil pH, N, P and K. The farmers were also taught on collection and processing of representative soil samples which were analysed using the soil test kit by placing the farmers in groups. The results indicated that farmers in each of the groups got similar values for the soil parameters (pH, N, P and K) measured. The study revealed that the soils of the four cocoa plantations required N, P and K fertilizer application at different levels. The soil test revealed that while the soil of Olorunranmilowo location required as much as 148.58kgK/ha, Ago-Owu location soil only required 31.28kgK/ha . This reflected the importance of soil testing before fertilizer recommendation compared with blanket fertilizer application which does not consider native fertility.
Soil test kits, soil testing, fertilizer, cocoa farmers
Egbe, N.E., E.A. Ayodele and C. R. Obatolu. 1989. Soils and Nutrition of Cocoa, Coffee, Kola, Cashew and Tea. In Progress in tree crop research in Nigeria. 2nd Ed. CRIN, Ibadan. Pp 27-38.
Fasina, A.S., S.O. Shittu., S.O. Omotoso and A.P. Adenikinju. 2006. Response of cocoa to different fertilizer regimes on some selected soils of Southwestern Nigeria. Agricultural Journal, 1(4):272-276
Ogunlade, M.O., K.A. Oluyole., S. Adebiyi., E.A. Adeyemi and P.E Aikpokpodion. 2015. Introduction of soil test kit to small-holder cocoa farmers in south-western Nigeria. International Journal of Science and Nature, 6(1): 80-83
Ogunlade, M.O., Y. Li and V.C. Baligar 2012. Adaptability of quick soil tests for soil fertility evaluation of cocoa plantation in Nigeria. Proceedings of the 17th International Cocoa Research Conference, Hilton Hotel Yaounde-Cameroon, 15-20 October 2012
Ogunlade, M.O., K.A. Oluyole, and P.O. Aikpokpodion. 2009. An evaluation of the level of fertilizer utilization for cocoa production in Nigeria. Journal of Human Ecology, 35 (3):175-178
Shittu., O.S and A.S. Fasina. 2004. Cassava yield as affected by different fertilizer models at Ado-Ekiti. Nigeria Journal of Soil Science, 14:68-73
Wessel, M. 1980. Development in cocoa nutrition in the nineteen seventies. A review of literature in Cocoa Growers Bulletin, 30:11-24
