Abstract            Volume:4  Issue-8  Year-2016         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

The devastation caused by soil erosion and degradation in many parts of Eastern Nigeria are alarming and pose a serious threat to life and economic activities of the region. An evaluation of the remote and immediate causes of this incidence is a huge challenge to the stakeholders, states and federal government. This study investigated the soil parameters such as soil permeability (k), soil texture, and soil classification index as bases for computing erosion factors in Ikwuano Local Government Area (LGA). Soil samples were randomly collected from ten locations in the four major communities of the LGA. The soil samples were analyzed to determine their erodibility indices using grain sieve analysis. The results of the grain sieve analysis showed that Umudike soils were predominantly sandy with the highest erodibility indices of 0.188 followed by Umuariga 0.134. Further analyses were carried out using hydrometer test to determine the clay and silt soils. The results obtained from the hydrometer analysis showed that Oloko and Ariam have the least erodibility indices of 0.0012 and 0.0021. Generally, Ikwuano soils were mainly consolidated sandy soils and possessing little binding materials to resist detachment and transportation by agents of erosion hence, adequate soil conservative measures are required to prevent severe erosions in these areas.

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