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Difficulty: HardAgricultural Systems, Crop Production, and Pastoralism in Nigeria

In Northern Nigeria, commercial groundnut production is heavily concentrated in the light-soil zones around Kano and Katsina, whereas commercial cotton production is predominantly focused around Zaria and Funtua. Which of the following physical factors best accounts for this spatial differentiation between the two cash crop belts?

  1. Groundnut requires well-drained, light sandy loams for easy pod penetration and harvesting, whereas cotton demands deeper, heavier clay-loam soils with greater moisture retention.Answer
  2. B
    Groundnut cultivation is restricted to the humid rainforest belt, whereas cotton is adapted exclusively to the hyper-arid Sahel desert zone.
  3. C
    Groundnut requires high mean annual rainfall exceeding 2,500 mm2,500\text{ mm}, whereas cotton relies entirely on seasonal flooding in coastal mangrove swamps.
  4. D
    Groundnut production requires frost conditions found only on high mountain peaks, whereas cotton is confined to tsetse-infested river basins.

Answer

Groundnut requires well-drained, light sandy loams for easy pod penetration and harvesting, whereas cotton demands deeper, heavier clay-loam soils with greater moisture retention.
The spatial distribution of groundnut and cotton in Northern Nigeria is primarily governed by soil texture and rainfall gradients. Groundnut is geocarpic (fruit matures underground), requiring light, loose sandy loams for the peduncle (peg) to penetrate the soil and for easy harvesting. Cotton, conversely, requires higher soil moisture retention and deeper clay-loam soils found in the slightly wetter belt around Zaria and Funtua.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the geographical regions mentioned in Northern Nigeria
Kano and Katsina lie in the Northern Sudan savanna belt, while Zaria and Funtua lie in the Southern Sudan / Northern Guinea savanna transition zone.
Understanding the ecological and soil gradient from north to south helps isolate the key growth requirements of each crop.
2
Analyze the soil and moisture requirements of groundnut
Groundnut develops its pods underground (pegging); thus, light, loose, sandy loam soils are necessary for flower stalk penetration and harvesting without pod breakage.
The sandy loams of the Kano region are ideal for subterranean fruit development.
3
Analyze the soil and moisture requirements of cotton
Cotton requires heavier, deeper loams with good water retention and slightly higher rainfall (750 mm−1,000 mm750\text{ mm} - 1,000\text{ mm}) during its growing cycle.
The heavier clay-loam soils around Zaria provide the required moisture retention during the critical boll formation stage.

Key Concept

Soil Texture and Moisture Limits in Crop Zonation of Northern Nigeria
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Topics

Agricultural Systems, Crop Production, and Pastoralism in Nigeria

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