RESPONSE OF HEAVY METALS CONTAMINATED ULTISOL TO ORGANIC AMENDMENTS IN NSUKKA SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA
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Abstract
An experiment was conducted in the University of Nigeria Nsukka Teaching and Research Farm to determine the response of heavy metals contaminated Ultisol to organic amendments. The treatments were arranged in a split-plot in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD), replicated thrice. Main plot treatments were 0 % (control), 1 %, 2 %, and 3 % waste crank-case oil (source of Zn, Pb, Cr and Fe) applied in a single dose at 0, 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 mg kg-1 soil, respectively. The sub-plot treatments were control (no amendment = NA), palm oil mill effluent (PE), oil palm bunch refuse (PR) and cassava peels (CS) applied at 12 Mg/ha each, per year. Top soil samples were collected at 0, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months and analyzed for the concentrations of heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cr and Fe). Results obtained indicated that though the waste crank-case oil led to increased heavy metal concentrations in the treated soils, the observed increments, however, fell within tolerable levels for soil. Among the organic amendments tested for their efficacy to decontaminate heavy metals from soil, PE exhibited the highest efficacy.