Assessment of Soil Erodibility in Relation to Management Practices in Yobe State, North East Nigeria

This study assesses the erodibility of soils under different management practices in selected districts of Yobe State, located in Nigeria's North East geopolitical zone. Soil erosion by wind and water is a severe land degradation challenge in Yobe State, where sandy soils, sparse vegetation, seasonal desiccating winds, and concentrated rainfall events combine to create high erosion risk, threatening the agricultural base of one of Nigeria's most food-insecure states. Using a descriptive assessment design, soil samples were collected from wind-deflation zones, water erosion-prone areas, stabilised farmland, and protected reserve sites in Damaturu, Potiskum, and Geidam local government areas. Soil erodibility was estimated using the K-factor of the Universal Soil Loss Equation calculated from texture, organic matter, soil structure, and permeability class. Sand particle size distribution was determined by laser diffraction, and soil organic carbon was measured by the Walkley-Black method. Wind erodibility was assessed using the dry sieving method. Findings revealed that soils of deflation zones had very fine sand fractions above 45 percent and organic carbon below 0.3 percent, producing very high USLE K-factors and wind erodibility indices. Stabilised farmland maintained with crop residues and windbreaks showed 40 percent lower K-factors and reduced wind erodibility. The study recommends systematic establishment of windbreaks using drought-resistant species, mandatory crop residue retention, and community-level land use planning targeting high erodibility zones in Yobe State. Keywords: soil erodibility, wind erosion, water erosion, Yobe State, land degradation.