Synergistic Effects of Zeolite and Organic Amendments on Soil Quality in Degraded Savanna Soils in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Land degradation threatens crop productivity, particularly in savanna ecosystems where soils are naturally low in organic matter content and nutrient availability. Aim: This study evaluated the synergistic (integrated) effects of zeolite and organic amendments on selected chemical and physical properties of degraded Alfisols. Methods: A screen-house pot experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with ten treatments replicated three times. Four organic amendments, cow dung (CD), poultry litter (PL), biochar (BC), and compost (CM), were applied at 5 t ha⁻¹ and compared with a control (CO), with each organic treatment applied alone and in combination with zeolite at 5 g kg⁻¹ of degraded soil. In all treatments, plants received the recommended NPK rate for sweet corn (Zea mays saccharata) as the test crop. Soil chemical and physical analyses were conducted using standard procedures after harvest. Results: Organic amendments significantly improved soil properties, with the overall performance following CM > PL > CD > BC > CO. Compost increased soil pH, organic carbon (OC), effective cation exchange capacity (ECEC), saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat), and plant available water content (PAWC). Total nitrogen (TN) increased in the order PL > CM > CD > BC > CO. Zeolite conditioning further enhanced TN, ECEC, Ksat, and PAWC by 30.95%, 9.74%, 13.09%, and 13.48%, respectively, while bulk density (BD) decreased by 3.40% compared with the no-zeolite treatments. Conclusion: Overall, compost was the most effective organic amendment, and the integrated use of zeolite with organic amendments provides a practical, restorative strategy for improving nutrient retention and water availability for sustainable sweet corn production on degraded savanna soils.