Morphological characteristics and soil physical attributes of Erhumunse Gully in Benin-City, Edo State: Implications for household crop cultivation

This study analysed the morphological characteristics and physical attributes of the soils of Erhumwunse gully, a sub-catchment of the larger Iwogban gully catchment in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The study used physical measurements to identify the morphology of the Erhumwunse gully including, state, shape, and dimension. It used laboratory tests to analyse the soil physical properties, such as grain size, specific gravity, natural moisture content, plastic limit, and coefficient of permeability, amongst others. The results revealed that morphologically, the gully is active, medium, u-shaped, and in its second stage of development. The gully soil is predominantly silty-clay sandy, with low natural moisture ranging from 16 to 22 percent and an average liquid limit of 47, which is an indication of low plasticity. The loss of land to gully formation, coupled with the high percentage of sand, low plasticity, and low natural moisture of the soils, has resulted in limited varieties of cultivable crops and low yield. To prevent further expansion of gullies, the study recommends the use of sandbags, local drainage channelization, and the planting of vegetation as temporary control measures and land use zoning in a wider catchment management plan as a long term permanent solution.