Abstract
This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of cultivation, fallow and woody land with and without soil bund on soil physical and chemical properties in Gojeb river basin of Dedo district. Landscape of the basin was divided in to three slope positions as upper (25 to 35%), middle (15 to 25%) and lower (5 to 15%). From each slope position, purposely three land use types (cultivated, fallow and woody) lands conserved with and without soil bund were selected. Accordingly, a total of 54 composited soil samples, from 3 slope positions x 3 land use types x 3 replications x 2 conservation system (with and without soil bund) were considered to collect soil sample for soil physical and chemical properties analysis. For both composited and core sampled soil sample collection systematic random sampling techniques were conducted through considering similarity of slope gradient, soil types and land use cover. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and mean separation was carried out by Turkey test using R-version 3.2.2 (2015). Additionally, Pearson’s correlation analysis was done by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20).The result showed that soil bulk density and sand fraction decreased from upper to lower slope position. In contrast, total soil porosity, gravimetric soil moisture content, fraction of clay and silt were increased from upper to lower slope position. With respect to land use soil porosity, gravimetric soil moisture content, clay and silt proportion of woody land >fallow land> cultivated land. However soil bulk density and sand fraction highest in the cultivated land than fallow and woody land. Similarly, for all land uses conserved with soil bund has highest gravimetric soil moisture content, soil porosity, clay and silt fraction than similar land uses not conserved with soil bund. Soil chemical parameters [pH, EC, Av.P, OM, OC, TN, CEC,[exchangeable cations (K, Ca and Mg), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and percent base saturation (PBS)] were significantly increased from upper to lower slope position while exchangeable sodium was not significantly increased. All soil chemical parameters, mean value of woody and fallow land were highest than cultivated land. Similarly, land uses conserved with soil bund has highest mean value than land uses without soil bund. The result of Pearson’s correlation matrix also confirmed that several soil phyisical and chemical parameters have a positive relationship, particularly soil organic matter/organic carbon was strongly correlated with cation exchangeable capacity and clay content. In conclusion, the result affirmed that soil physicochemical property of the study area was strongly influenced by land use and conservation difference in addition to topographic position variation. Therefore, to conserve soil resources it needs highest attention of policy makers as well as land use planners to concentrate their efforts on land management/conservation strategies based on land use system and slope variation. Key words: Land use types, soil bund, soil properties, slope positions, soil parameters.
Highlights
Degraded lands are the center of much attention as global demands for food, feed and fuel continue to increase at unprecedented rates, while the agricultural land base needed for production is shrinking in many parts of the words (Food and agriculture organization of the united nations (FAO), 2005, Gelfand et al, 2013, Lambin and Meyfroidt, 2011)
Several soil physical-chemical properties were significantly varied among land uses in association with and without soil bund under different slope category
The result revealed low soil porosity, gravimetric soil moisture content, clay and silt proportion in the cultivated land with and without soil bund as compared with woody and fallow land with and without soil bund in all slope categories
Summary
Degraded lands are the center of much attention as global demands for food, feed and fuel continue to increase at unprecedented rates, while the agricultural land base needed for production is shrinking in many parts of the words (Food and agriculture organization of the united nations (FAO), 2005, Gelfand et al, 2013, Lambin and Meyfroidt, 2011) It is a major concern in Ethiopia, because of its devastating consequences on economic growth and food security status of the people who are both highly dependent on natural resources (Girma, 2001).The major cause of land degradation are cultivation on steep and fragile soils with inadequate investment on soil conservation, erratic and erosive rainfall patterns, declining use of fallow, limited recycling of dung and crop residues to the soil, rapid population increment, deforestation, low vegetative cover and unbalanced crop and livestock production (Belay 2003, Hurni 1988, Leonard, 2003; Lulseged and Paul, 2006). Sustainable use of soil resource has been an increasing concern to decision and policy makers (Tesfahunegn, 2014)
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