Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, D: Agriculture and Veterinary, Volume 23 Issue 1

staple foodstuffs: sweet cassava ( Manihot esculenta L. ), maize ( Zea mays L. ), plantain ( Musa paradisiaca L. ), and white yam ( Dioscorearotundata L. ) cultivated in Aawe communities in the Odu’a farm establishment Oyo State, Southwestern Region of Nigeria. The staple food crops were planted on a farmland soil settlement of Aawe for the period of wet and dry seasons of 2018. II. M aterial and M ethod a) Area under Study i. Place and Suitability of Research Site The research was conducted in Aawe, which is under the Afijio Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. It situates in the Southwestern Zone of the State, which is approximately encircled by latitudes 7.80 and 4.40 north of the equator. Aawe Farm Centre: Old Rural Community Development Centre (RCDC) Km 12, Aawe-Iwo Road, Aawe, Oyo State. Odu’a farm settlement is specifically designated for this work on account of its influence toAgri-business Industry in Nigeria and happens to be a fast developing farm settlement within the area. The farm settlement scheme conducts training and workshop for all categories of farmers, and young school leavers. Also, the clime of this area has been deemed to be the most appropriate for agricultural productivity in the southwestern Geo– political zone of Nigeria(Ogunwale et al., 2021).The landform is, by and large, undulating with highest being around 213.50 m above the mean water table. There is a good network of rivers and streams and prominent among them are Odooba and Dogiyan rivers. These rivers aid as sources of water for irrigation uses explicitly for staple crop farmers in the dry season. The area falls within two climatic regions in Nigeria (Ogunwale et al., 2021). The Semi Deciduous Forest is available in the northern part whereas the Tropical Rain forest, which is among the wettest region of the country, is available in the southern part. The mean annual rainfallfalls off from 127.77 mm in the south to 111.00 mm in the north. There are two main rainfall characteristics, present between mid-March to early-August and September to early November, with a short dry season present between December-February. Temperatures are moderately high, varying from 23.80-27.90 o C. Maximum temperatures occur in February-March, and slightest low-temperature month is August. Geologically, the research area makes up a portion of the Basement Complex of Southwestern Nigeria and it is naturally covered by hard crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks (Ogunwale et al., 2021). The soil types of the study zone are primarily connected with Iwo and Egbeda categorizations. They have been figured out as montmorillonite soils which are by far the most extensive and almost all essential soils within the Tropical biomes for both food and tree cash crop cultivation. Such grounds, under natural conditions comprise rich nutrients that are tied-up with the organic layers in their surface soil and, thus sustain healthy crop growth (Ogunwale et al., 2021). Best food crops cultivated are cassava, cocoyam, maize, plantain, pineapple, banana, yam, and vegetables, while chief cash crops include cocoa, rubber, oil palm, cashew, mango, avocado, and citrus. b) Plant and Soil Sampling At farm establishment, samples were picked up from diverse plots within the farm since the agronomical practices tolerate great local variation of soil characteristics. Cassava, maize, plantain, yam, and soil samples were taken from the farm that surrounded the farm settlement and one fallow plot in which farming was not taking place, respectively within the research area. Selections from the non-farming plot were collected and assayed to provide reference data as an underlying condition of comparison to the cropland areas. Five pieces of cassava, maize, plantain, and yam with their corresponding soil samples (i.e., varying from 0-20 cm depth from the top of the ridge)were gathered in each plot. The cassava, maize, plantain, and yam samples were harvested from four farms within each parcel, dependent upon the availability of the crops. This was done after the ridges were created and the cassava andyam, and holes were dug while plantain was harvested with a clean machete and maize was plucked with glove hand and samples were taken. Pieces of each crop gathered were wrapped in foil paper and marked with cellulose masking tape to avoid wrong identity. All the pieces were stored in dried polyethylene bags and conveyed to the research laboratory for additional analysis. The pieces were well labeled depending on the location, and also geospatial coordinates were taken in addition. The cassava, plantain, and yam samples were pared. At the same time, maize grain, each seed was extracted off the cob before drying, and the edible portions were washed with tap water, after that, deionized distilled water, broken into smaller slices with a stainless knife, and naturally dried in a spacious room on a concrete ground for seven 2-7 days. The pieces were then put in a hot air oven with a temperature of 105°C to dry till constant scale was attained. When fully dry, the samples were crushed, and both soil and plants were sieved utilizing a 2 mm plastic sieve before being assessed. c) Soil Analysis of pH, Electrical Conductivity, Organic Carbon and Organic Matter Following air-drying for seven days and sieved, 10 g per soil sample was quantified via a Metlar Electronic balance (Model MT 2000) scale and put in glass beakers. To measure the pH 50 mL of distilled water was introduced to the samples which were shaken in durations for one hour. The pH was then measured Cropland Bioaccumulation Risks of Potentially Toxic Elements in Soil of Some Designated Foodstuffs Cultivated in Odu’a Farm Establishment, Aawe, Oyo State, Nigeria 1 Year 2023 7 © 2023 Global Journals Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXIII Issue ersion I VI ( )D