Obire O¹*, Emekwuru IA¹ and Kugbenu GJ²

¹Department of Microbiology, Rivers State University, P.M.B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
²Department of Botany and Microbiology, University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos

*Corresponding Author: Obire O, Department of Microbiology, Rivers State University, P.M.B. 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Received: December 23, 2024; Published: January 22, 2025

Abstract

Waste degradation process in waste dump involves not only biological process, but also interrelated physical and chemical processes. Plant roots are involved in the uptake of mineral nutrients and water for plant growth. This study aimed to determine the cation exchange capacity of soils by evaluation of physico-chemical parameters including cations of soils and roots of Cucurbits in waste dumps. Results revealed soil pH ranged from 5.87 - 6.65. Values of phosphate ranged from 2.34 mg/kg to 20.2 mg/kg in the soils and from 45.1 to 127.5 mg/kg in the roots. Sulphate ranged from70.9 mg/kg to 269 mg/kg in the soils and from 348 to 581 mg/kg in the roots. Ammonium was negligible (<0.02 mg/kg) in the soil samples. Values of Aluminium ranged from 1,172 mg/kg to 2,952 mg/kg in the soils and from 1,197 mg/kg to 2.847 mg/kg in the roots. Exchangeable Cations of Calcium (Ca2+) ranged from <0.10 to 129 mg/kg in the soils and from 618 to 6,163 mg/kg in the roots, while Magnesium (Mg2+) ranged from 105 to 226 in the soils and from 917 to 1,563.5 mg/kg in the roots. Potassium (K+) ranged from 114 to 643 mg/kg in the soils and from 3,515 to 10,050 mg/kg in the roots, while Sodium (Na+) ranged from 906 to 1537 mg/kg in the soils and from 1,353 to 2,800 mg/kg in the roots. The roots removed metals from the soils and transferred to cucurbits. The values for cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the waste dump soil samples ranged from 13.0 Cmol/kg to 53.7 Cmol/kg and from 45.5 Cmol/kg to 87.1 Cmol/kg in the roots of cucurbits. Particle size density revealed the soils as sandy loam. The study revealed the nutrient status of waste dump soils and associated cucurbits and has ascertained the soil quality and the bioaccumulation of some ions by the roots of Cucurbits.

Keywords: Waste Dump Soil; Cucurbit; Cation Exchange Capacity; Ion Bioaccumulation; Magnesium; Potassium

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Citation

Citation: Obire O., et al. “Physicochemical Characteristics of Soils and of Associated Roots of Cucurbits (Lagenaria guineensis and Luffa aegyptica) in Open Waste Dump Sites". Acta Scientific Agriculture 9.2 (2025): 50-64.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Obire O., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.