Variations in soil physical properties in a cleared forestland continuously cultivated for seven years in Eastern Nsukka, Nigeria.

In this study, soil physical properties were evaluated in the top 40 cm of cleared forestland that had been subjected to continuous cultivation for 7 years to ascertain selected crop or crop combinations that influenced the soil physical properties the most. There was no significant effect of crop treatment on particle‐size distributions over 6 years of cultivation. In year 7, clay values were significantly (p   =   0.05) greater in plots grown with solely cassava (SC) and solely maize (SM) than in the plots grown with solely pigeon pea (SP). The soil depth effects over the 7 years were significant on the clay content. The mean values of bulk density, pore‐size distribution, and hydraulic conductivity obtained from each plot fluctuated over the years. The bulk density values in 1998 ranged from 1.29 to 1.43 g cm3, but from 1999 to 2004, the range was from 1.12 to 1.40 g cm3. Thus, bulk density generally decreased when compared with their respective values in 1998. The greatest decrease of ≈ 22% was in 200...