Soil Acidity Challenges to Crop Production in Ethiopian Highlands and Management Strategic Options for Mitigating Soil Acidity for Enhancing Crop Productivity

Abstract

Soil degradation is the primary restriction affecting many developing countries' agricultural systems. Ethiopia is a developing country in horn Africa that is severely challenged by soil degradation issues. The main processes of soil deterioration are acidification and salinization. Furthermore, soil acidity is one of the primary reasons obstructing and preventing lucrative and sustainable agricultural productivity in many African countries as well as many other regions of the world. Soil acidity problems have hampered sustainable agricultural productivity in practically all productive areas in Ethiopia. The main goal of the seminar is to highlight the problems of soil acidity to agricultural production in Ethiopia's highlands, as well as management strategies for alleviating soil acidity and increasing crop output. Soil acidity affects over half of Ethiopia's arable land. Strong acid soils cover more than half of the arable land affected by soil acidity. Researchers discovered two primary reasons that limit acidic soil fertility: the presence of phytotoxicity substances and nutrient shortage. Numerous strategic soil acid management plans have been created to address these issues in the country's highlands.. Several studies have been undertaken on soil management, which influences the physiochemical qualities of the soil and crop productivity in various ways. Thus, the primary goal of this seminar is to emphasize various literatures on the ideas of soil acidity, its causes and extents in highland areas of the country, as well as its impacts on soil and crop productivity through strategic management strategies. Many findings suggested that liming and ISFM improved soil physiochemical parameters such as soil texture, pH, accessible P, exchangeable acidity, organic carbon, exchangeable cation, cation exchange capacity, and crop yield and productivity.