Lands Evaluation in Hydromorphic Environment: Case of Developed Rice Lowland Soils in the Province of Ziro, Burkina Faso

Sustainable soil management became a major concern for rice farming in Burkina Faso. Rained rice production offers potential thanks to the national rice policy oriented towards the developing of lowlands. However, effective soil fertility management through the promotion of good agricultural practices is essential in this agricultural area to meet the goal. It involves the evaluation of the land, as it can provide important information on which to base rational decisions on land management. A study was carried out in order to promote soil fertility sustainable management on two rice-growing lowlands in the province of Ziro. The soils of the sites were characterized and sampled for the physicochemical parameters analysis. The suitability of the soils for rice cropping was thus assessed. It emerges from the study that the dominant soils in the developed rice lowlands are hydromorphic soils. The hydromorphic soils are suitable types of soils for rice production. The results on the physical parameters show that the soils of the lowlands mainly have a coarse surface texture. The organic matter content is low and the pH values vary from weakly to very strongly acidic. The useful soil water reserve is medium to high. The contents of the major nutrients (N, P and K) are very low as are the values of the CEC, which indicates a low level of chemical fertility of the soils according to the complete range. The evaluation of rice lowlands revealed that soils are moderately suitable for rice production and their major constraint is the availability of nutrients. Current producer practices related to soil fertility management are unfavorable to sustainable land management. The study shows the need for appropriate crop fertilization, better management of crop residues and periodic monitoring of fertility essential parameters for the sustainability of soil productivity.