Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

| Peer-Reviewed |

Impacts of Land Use on Selected Physicochemical Properties of Soils of Abobo Area, Western Ethiopia

Received: 26 July 2013    Accepted:     Published: 10 September 2013
Views:       Downloads:

Share This Article

Abstract

Assessing land use-induced changes in soil properties are essential for addressing issues of agro-ecosystem transformation and sustainable land productivity. In view of this, a study was conducted to assess the impact of land use/land cover on the physicochemical properties of soils of Abobo area, western Ethiopia. Three adjacent land use types, namely forest, grazing and cultivated lands each falling under four land mapping units (1Ac, 1Bc, 2Cc and 3Cl) were considered for the study. A total of 40 random soil samples (0-20 cm depth) were collected to make three composite samples for each land use type across the land mapping units and analyzed for selected soil physical and chemical properties. The results of the study, on one hand, revealed that soil OM, total N, CEC, PBS and available micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) contents of the cultivated land was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than the adjacent forest land. For instance, soil OM, total N, CEC, PBS, exchangeable Mg and available micronutrients (Mn, Zn and Cu) contents of cultivated land was significantly lower than the adjacent forest land by 32.98, 33.33, 16.16, 17.81, 21.88, 29.47, 40.05 and 53.92%, respectively. On the other hand, the results of the study revealed that exchangeable cations (Mg, K and Na), PBS and available micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) contents of the gazing land was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than the adjacent forest land. However, significant differences were not observed between the forests and grazing lands in soil OM, total N, CEC and available P. From the present study, it could be concluded that the soil quality and health were maintained relatively under the forest, whereas the influence on most parameters were negative on the soils of the cultivated land, indicating the need for employing integrated soil fertility management in sustainable manner to optimize and maintain the favorable soil physicochemical properties.

DOI 10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11
Published in Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Volume 2, Issue 5, October 2013)
Page(s) 177-183
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Land Use, Physicochemical Property, Soil Quality

References
[1] M.K. Yao, P.K.T Angui, S. Konaté, J. E. Tondoh, Y. Tano, L. Abbadie and D. Benest. "Effects of land use types on soil organic carbon and nitrogen dynamics in Mid-West Côte d’Ivoire". European Journal of Scientific Research. 40 (2): 211-222, 2010.
[2] G. Heluf and N. Wakene. "Impact of land use and management practices on chemical properties of some soils of Bako areas, western Ethiopia". Ethiopian Journal of Natural Resources. 8(2): 177-197, 2006.
[3] L. Mulugeta, E. Karltun and M. Olsson. "Assessing soil chemical and physical property responses to deforestation and subsequent cultivation in smallholders farming system in Ethiopia". Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 105: 373-386, 2005.
[4] M. Eyayu, G. Heluf, M. Tekaliign and A. Mohammed. "Effects of land-use change on selected soil properties in the Tera Gedam Catchment and adjacent agroecosystems, north-west Ethiopia". Ethiopian Journal of Natural Resources. 11(1): 35-62, 2009.
[5] E. Nega and G. Heluf. "Influence of land use changes and soil depth on cation exchange capacity and contents of exchangeable bases in the soils of Senbat Watershed, western Ethiopia". Ethiopian Journal of Natural Resources. 11(2): 195-206, 2009.
[6] B. Ashasi, A. Jalalian and N. Honarjoo. "The comparsion of some soil quality indices in different land use of Ghaneh Aghaj Watershed of Semirom, Isfahan, Iran". International Journal of Environmental and Earth Science. 1(2): 76-80, 2010.
[7] R. Kizilkaya and O. Dengiz. "Variation of land use and land cover effects on some soil physicochemical characteristics and soil enzyme activity". Zemdirbyste-Agriculture. 97(2): 15-24, 2010.
[8] A. Mojiri, H.A. Aziz and A. Ramaji. "Potential decline in soil quality attributes as a result of land use change in a hillslope in Lordegan, Western Iran". African Journal of Agricultural Research. 7(4): 577-582, 2012.
[9] W. Semahugne. "Land use changes and soil organic carbon and soil nitrogen in the Northwestern Highlands of Ethiopia". MSc Thesis, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, 2008.
[10] N. Wakene and G. Heluf. "Forms of phosphorus and status of available micronutrients under different land use systems of Alfisols in Bako area of Ethiopia". Ethiopian Journal of Natural Resource. 5(1): 17-37, 2003.
[11] Yeshibir. Gambella people’s regional state land-use/land allotment study. Section 9, soils. Yeshibir Consult, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2003
[12] A. Davidson. Reconnaissance geology and geochemistry of southwest Ethiopia. Ethiopian Institute of Geological Surveys, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1983.
[13] WBISPP (Woody Biomass Investment Strategic Plan and Program). A strategic plan for the sustainable development, conservation and management of the wood biomass resource. Gambella Regional State, Ethiopia, 2001.
[14] G.J. Bouyoucos. "Hydrometer method improvement for making particle size analysis of soils". Agronomy Journal. 54: 179-186, 1962.
[15] G. R. Black and K. H. Hertge. "Bulk density" in Methods of Soil Analysis, A. Klute Ed, SSSA, Madison, Wiscosin, USA, 1986, pp. 1: 377-382.
[16] A. Walkley and C.A. Black. "An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method". Soil Science. 37: 29-38, 1934.
[17] S. Sahlemedhin and T. Bekele. Procedures for soil and plant analysis. National Soil Research Centre, Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2000.
[18] J.M. Bremner and C.S. Mulvaney. "Nitrogen-total" in Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2, Chemical and microbiological properties. A.L. Page Ed, SSSA, Madison, Wisconsin, 1982, pp. 595-641.
[19] S. R. Olsen and L.E. Somers. "Phosphorus" in Methods of soil analysis. Part 2, A. L. Page, R. H. Miller and D. R. Keeney Eds, SSSA. Madison Wiscosin, USA, 1982, pp. 403-430.
[20] L.P. Van Reeuwijk. Procedures for soil analysis. 4th ed. International Soil Reference and Information Center, the Netherlands, 1993.
[21] K. H. Tan. Soil smapling, preparation, and analysis. Marcel Dekker, Inc. New York, USA, 1996.
[22] SAS (Statistical Analysis System) Institute Inc. SAS/STAT 9.2 User’s guide. Cary, NC, SAS Institute, USA, 2008.
[23] V. Geissen, R. Sánchez-Hernández, C. Kampichler, R. Ramos-Reyes, A. Sepulveda-Lozada, S. Ochoa-Goana, B.H.J. Jong, E. Huerta-Lwanga and S. Hernández-Daumas. "Effects of land use change on some properties of tropical soils: An example from Southeast Mexico". Geoderma. 151: 87–97, 2009
[24] K. Alemayehu, B. Sheleme and Y. Teshome. "Effect of different land use systems on selected soil properties in south Ethiopia" in proceedings of the 12th conference on natural resources management for climatic change adaptation. Ethiopian Society of Soil Science. pp. 156-165, 2011.
[25] B. Sheleme. "Characterization of soils along a toposequence in Gununo area, southern Ethiopia". Journal of Science and Development. 1(1): 31-41, 2011.
[26] T. Tekalign. Soil, plant, water, fertilizer, animal manure and compost analysis. Working Document No. 13. International Livestock Research Center for Africa, Addis Ababa, 1991.
[27] K.R. Islam and R.R. Weil. " Land use effects on soil quality in a tropical forest ecosystem of Bangladesh". Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 79: 9–16, 2000.
[28] A. Bahrami, I. Emadodin, M. R. Atashi and H. R. Bork. "Land-use change and soil degradation: A case study, North of Iran". Agric. Biol. J. N. Am. 1(4): 600-605, 2010.
[29] A. Yifru and B. Taye. "Effects of land use on soil organic carbon and nitrogen in soils of Bale, southeastern Ethiopia". Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems. 14: 229- 235, 2011.
[30] J.B. Jones. Agronomic Handbook: management of crops, soils, and their fertility. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, USA, 2003.
[31] P. Hazelton and B. Murphy. Interpreting soil test results: What do all the numbers mean? 2nd ed. CSIRO Publishing, 2007.
[32] H. Bohn, B. L. Mcneal and G. A. O’connor. Soil Chemistry. 3rd ed. John Wiley and Sons, INC, 2001, pp. 207-233.
[33] B. Damtew. "Dynamics of some physicochemical properties of soils under different land use systems at Ambomesk Watershed in Mecha District, northwest Ethiopia". MSc Thesis, Haramaya University, Ethiopia, 2007.
[34] Y. Jiang, Y.G. Zhang, D. Zhou, Y. Qin and W.J. Liang. "Profile distribution of micronutrients in an aquic brown soil as affected by land use". Plant Soil Environ. 55(11): 468-476, 2009.
[35] M. Kumar and A.L. Babel. "Available micronutrient status and their relationship with soil properties of Jhunjhunu Tehsil, District Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, India". Journal of Agricultural Science. 3(2): 97-106, 2011.
Author Information
  • School of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Haramaya University, P. O. Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

  • School of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Haramaya University, P. O. Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

  • School of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Haramaya University, P. O. Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

  • Department of Plant and Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture, Hawassa University, P. O. Box 05, Hawassa, Ethiopia

Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Teshome Yitbarek, Heluf Gebrekidan, Kibebew Kibret, Shelem Beyene. (2013). Impacts of Land Use on Selected Physicochemical Properties of Soils of Abobo Area, Western Ethiopia. Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 2(5), 177-183. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Teshome Yitbarek; Heluf Gebrekidan; Kibebew Kibret; Shelem Beyene. Impacts of Land Use on Selected Physicochemical Properties of Soils of Abobo Area, Western Ethiopia. Agric. For. Fish. 2013, 2(5), 177-183. doi: 10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Teshome Yitbarek, Heluf Gebrekidan, Kibebew Kibret, Shelem Beyene. Impacts of Land Use on Selected Physicochemical Properties of Soils of Abobo Area, Western Ethiopia. Agric For Fish. 2013;2(5):177-183. doi: 10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11,
      author = {Teshome Yitbarek and Heluf Gebrekidan and Kibebew Kibret and Shelem Beyene},
      title = {Impacts of Land Use on Selected Physicochemical Properties of Soils of Abobo Area, Western Ethiopia},
      journal = {Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries},
      volume = {2},
      number = {5},
      pages = {177-183},
      doi = {10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.aff.20130205.11},
      abstract = {Assessing land use-induced changes in soil properties are essential for addressing issues of agro-ecosystem transformation and sustainable land productivity. In view of this, a study was conducted to assess the impact of land use/land cover on the physicochemical properties of soils of Abobo area, western Ethiopia. Three adjacent land use types, namely forest, grazing and cultivated lands each falling under four land mapping units (1Ac, 1Bc, 2Cc and 3Cl) were considered for the study. A total of 40 random soil samples (0-20 cm depth) were collected to make three composite samples for each land use type across the land mapping units and analyzed for selected soil physical and chemical properties. The results of the study, on one hand, revealed that soil OM, total N, CEC, PBS and available micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) contents of the cultivated land was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than the adjacent forest land. For instance, soil OM, total N, CEC, PBS, exchangeable Mg and available micronutrients (Mn, Zn and Cu) contents of cultivated land was significantly lower than the adjacent forest land by 32.98, 33.33, 16.16, 17.81, 21.88, 29.47, 40.05 and 53.92%, respectively. On the other hand, the results of the study revealed that exchangeable cations (Mg, K and Na), PBS and available micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) contents of the gazing land was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than the adjacent forest land. However, significant differences were not observed between the forests and grazing lands in soil OM, total N, CEC and available P. From the present study, it could be concluded that the soil quality and health were maintained relatively under the forest, whereas the influence on most parameters were negative on the soils of the cultivated land, indicating the need for employing integrated soil fertility management in sustainable manner to optimize and maintain the favorable soil physicochemical properties.},
     year = {2013}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Impacts of Land Use on Selected Physicochemical Properties of Soils of Abobo Area, Western Ethiopia
    AU  - Teshome Yitbarek
    AU  - Heluf Gebrekidan
    AU  - Kibebew Kibret
    AU  - Shelem Beyene
    Y1  - 2013/09/10
    PY  - 2013
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11
    T2  - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
    JF  - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
    JO  - Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
    SP  - 177
    EP  - 183
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-5648
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.aff.20130205.11
    AB  - Assessing land use-induced changes in soil properties are essential for addressing issues of agro-ecosystem transformation and sustainable land productivity. In view of this, a study was conducted to assess the impact of land use/land cover on the physicochemical properties of soils of Abobo area, western Ethiopia. Three adjacent land use types, namely forest, grazing and cultivated lands each falling under four land mapping units (1Ac, 1Bc, 2Cc and 3Cl) were considered for the study. A total of 40 random soil samples (0-20 cm depth) were collected to make three composite samples for each land use type across the land mapping units and analyzed for selected soil physical and chemical properties. The results of the study, on one hand, revealed that soil OM, total N, CEC, PBS and available micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) contents of the cultivated land was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than the adjacent forest land. For instance, soil OM, total N, CEC, PBS, exchangeable Mg and available micronutrients (Mn, Zn and Cu) contents of cultivated land was significantly lower than the adjacent forest land by 32.98, 33.33, 16.16, 17.81, 21.88, 29.47, 40.05 and 53.92%, respectively. On the other hand, the results of the study revealed that exchangeable cations (Mg, K and Na), PBS and available micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) contents of the gazing land was significantly (P < 0.001) lower than the adjacent forest land. However, significant differences were not observed between the forests and grazing lands in soil OM, total N, CEC and available P. From the present study, it could be concluded that the soil quality and health were maintained relatively under the forest, whereas the influence on most parameters were negative on the soils of the cultivated land, indicating the need for employing integrated soil fertility management in sustainable manner to optimize and maintain the favorable soil physicochemical properties.
    VL  - 2
    IS  - 5
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

  • Sections