Impact of Crush Rock Mining on Soil Enzyme Activities and Nutritional Composition of Ipomea batata in Okue-Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
Nwenewo Eugenia Chidinma¹, Ndukwe Ijeoma Franca², Egede Solomon Chinedu³, Agbom Chukwuka⁴ and Nwokporo Ifeanyi Emmanuel⁵.
1,2,4,5 Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu Ebonyi State Nigeria.
3Department of Animal Health and Production Technology, Federal College of Agriculture Ishiagu, Ebonyi State Nigeria.
ABSTRACT
The study assessed the impact of Crush Rock mining on soil enzyme activities and the nutritional composition of Ipomea batata in Okue-Ishiagu, Ebonyi State. Soil samples were collected from mining sites (East, West, North, and South) and a control site. Soil enzyme activities including dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, hydrogen peroxidase, and urease were analyzed, along with the nutritional composition of Ipomea batata harvested from the study area. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed in soil enzyme activities between the control and mining sites. Dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, hydrogen peroxidase, and urease activities were significantly reduced in mining site soils compared to the control. Additionally, the nutritional composition of Ipomea batata showed significant alterations in %Moisture content, %Protein, and %Vitamin C in test samples compared to the control, with a decrease in %Ash, %Fat, and %Fibre. These findings highlight the adverse effects of Crush Rock mining activities on soil health and the nutritional quality of an important staple crop in the region.
Keywords: Crush Rock mining, soil enzyme activities, nutritional composition, Ipomea batata, Ebonyi State.
CITE AS: Nwenewo Eugenia Chidinma, Ndukwe Ijeoma Franca, Egede Solomon Chinedu, Agbom Chukwuka and Nwokporo Ifeanyi Emmanuel. (2024). Impact of Crush Rock Mining on Soil Enzyme Activities and Nutritional Composition of Ipomea batata in Okue-Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC AND EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCES, 5(1):13-20. https://doi.org/10.59298/NIJSES/2024/10.5.11320