Mapping the Extent of Organic Matter Content, Soil Permeability Rate, Soil Structure and Textural Classes of Kersa Woreda, Jimma Zone, South Western Ethiopia

Tolossa Ameyu

doi:10.7176/jees/10-12-02

Abstract

Compatible soil databases are essential for establishing the current status of the earth’s components and processes, and for monitoring rates of change in the status of these resources. This study was conducted with the objective of mapping and evaluation of the temporal and spatial distribution of soil organic matter content, structure, permeability and textural classes of kersa woreda. The spatial interpolation model showed that a good performance distribution of soil textural class, structure, permeability and organic matter content. The most dominant soil textural class of the study woreda is sandy loam. The permeability rate of study area is dominated by slow to moderate permeability rate. The maximum soil organic matter distribution of kersa woreda range from 3.94- 4.26 percent and the minimum soil organic matter distribution ranges from 2.98-3.316 percent. The major soil structural distribution of the study woreda is medium or coarse granular that cover all parts of the woreda except small area of the woreda. Keywords: Mapping, Texture, Permeability and Organic matter DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-12-02 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

Highlights

Soils are increasingly recognized as major contributors to ecosystem services in terrestrial environment (Palm et al, 2007)
The need for higher resolution soil datasets was already recognized by soil scientists, by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) working group on digital soil mapping when proposing the launch of the Global Soil Map (GSM) project (Hempel et al, 2014)
The climate of the Kersa woreda is characterized as hot humid tropical with bimodal heavy rainfall which is uniform in amount and distribution, ranging from 1200 to 2800 mm per year, with short and main seasons occurring from mid February to May and June to September, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Soils are increasingly recognized as major contributors to ecosystem services in terrestrial environment (Palm et al, 2007). Services such as food production, prevention of land degradation, water quality and carbon sequestration, just to name a few, are provided by soils (Lal, 2004).The importance of these ecosystem services has increased the relevance of soils in the socio-political agenda, resulting in an increased need of worldwide soil information. The need for higher resolution soil datasets was already recognized by soil scientists, by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) working group on digital soil mapping when proposing the launch of the Global Soil Map (GSM) project (Hempel et al, 2014). The Global Soil Map provides the framework for supplying soil information in a format and resolution compatible with other fundamental data sets from remote sensing, terrain analysis, and other systems for mapping, monitoring, and forecasting biophysical processes (Arrouays et al, 2014)

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion