Effects of Land Use/Land Cover Changes on Selected Soil Physical and Chemical Properties in Shenkolla Watershed, South Central Ethiopia

Belayneh Bufebo,Eyasu Elias

doi:10.1155/2020/5145483

Belayneh Bufebo, Eyasu Elias

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/5145483

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Abstract

Land use change from natural ecosystems to managed agroecosystems is one of the main causes of soil fertility decline. Severe soil erosion caused by agricultural expansion and poor management worsened soil nutrient depletion in cultivated outfields (crop lands). This study was conducted to examine the effects of land use and land cover changes (LU/LC) on selected soil physicochemical properties in the Shenkolla watershed. A total of 40 top soil samples at 0–20 cm depth were collected from four land use/land cover types (forest land, grazing land, cultivated outfield, and cultivated homestead garden fields). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to determine differences in soil parameters among land use types. Treatment means comparison was determined using the least significant difference (LSD) at 0.05 level of significances. The result indicated that there were significant P<0.05 differences among the four LU/LC types for soil characteristics. For most parameters evaluated, the most favorable soil properties were observed in the forest land, followed by homestead garden fields, while the least favorable soil properties were found in intensively cultivated outfields. Increase in the extent of cultivated land at the expense of forest cover associated with poor management has promoted significant loss of soil quality in intensively cultivated outfields. Reducing the land cover conversion and adopting proper management practices of the soil commonly used in homestead garden fields are very crucial in order to improve soil fertility in intensively cultivated outfields.

Highlights

Soil degradation caused by unsuitable use of land and weak management is a problem of the entire world that has drawn attraction towards sustainable agricultural production [1]
Description of the Study Area. e study was undertaken in the Shenkolla watershed, covering 1457 ha lying, in the eastern part of the Soro district in the Hadiya zone of Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State. e geographical location of the area falls within the coordinates of 7°24′30′′–7°27′0′′ N latitude and 37°43′30′′–37°46′30′′ E longitude (Figure 1). e altitude ranges from 2200 to 2830 m which is characterized by gentle sloping to high-relief hills which ranges from 5 to 45%
Soil fertility of the homestead garden fields is maintained through the application of approximately 9 tons per hectare per year of farmyard manure on average, while the crop cultivated outfields are treated with a dose of less than prescribed amounts of mineral fertilizers with an average rate of 50 kg urea and 65 kg/ha DAP [11]

Summary

Research Article

Effects of Land Use/Land Cover Changes on Selected Soil Physical and Chemical Properties in Shenkolla Watershed, South Central Ethiopia. A total of 40 top soil samples at 0–20 cm depth were collected from four land use/land cover types (forest land, grazing land, cultivated outfield, and cultivated homestead garden fields). The most favorable soil properties were observed in the forest land, followed by homestead garden fields, while the least favorable soil properties were found in intensively cultivated outfields. Increase in the extent of cultivated land at the expense of forest cover associated with poor management has promoted significant loss of soil quality in intensively cultivated outfields. Reducing the land cover conversion and adopting proper management practices of the soil commonly used in homestead garden fields are very crucial in order to improve soil fertility in intensively cultivated outfields

Introduction

Materials and Methods

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Results and Discussion

Clay loam

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