Assessment of Soil Quality and Microbial Load in Termite Mound Soil and Surrounding Top Soil Samples from Odeda Area, Ogun State, Nigeria

The soil of termite mounds provide special natural habitat for the growth of microorganisms with many nutrients found in it for sustainability. However, much research studies have not been concentrated on its impact on human socially and economically. This study focused on assessing the quality of termite mound soil in a selected area towards agricultural development. The nutrients present in the soil such as nitrogen, and the heavy metals were determined by Kjeldah digestion, and atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) respectively. The results of this study revealed pH (6.78; 6.54), organic matter (1.34; 4.91%), total phosphorus (10.75; 4.34%), total nitrogen (1.17; 1.02%), cation exchange capacity (2.09; 1.88 meq/100 g), electrical conductivity (0.26; 0.23 ms/cm) to be the composition of the soil in termite mound and its surrounding top soil respectively. Aerobic bacterial counts obtained from various sampling points range from 3.3 × 103–4.5 × 103. The amount of heavy metals present in the soils were measured and the results showed a very low concentration that is below the permissible limits set by FAO/WHO, EU and DPR. Therefore, the high nutrient content, the bacterial load and the non-toxicity of termite mounds and its surrounding top soil, suggest its potential use to further improve the growth of plant and soil development.