Soil characteristics under dominant agroforestry systems along toposequence of Gedeo, Southeastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Soil fertility is important in influencing productivity in agroecosystems. The interaction of trees and crops in different agroforestry systems considerably affects soil fertility and crop productivity. Information on the effect of different land-use systems on soil physicochemical properties in the Gedeo, Southern Ethiopia is insufficient. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the influence of three different types of agroforestry systems (Home garden/HG/, Ficha system/FS/, and Parkland/PL/) on soil physicochemical properties. The soil sample was investigated in two soil depths (0–30 cm and 30–60 cm), and a total of 54 composite samples representing different agroforestry systems. The result revealed that the soil pH of HG and FS had significantly higher (P < 0.05) than PL, and the highest soil organic carbon, organic matter, and Cation exchange capacity were observed in ficha system and homegarden agroforestry system, while the lowest values were recorded in PL. the lowest content of Av. P (4.05) and K(1.48)were observed on the PL, whereas the highest value of Av. P(8.65) and K(5.62) respectively were recorded in HG. The result established that land use and management practice have influenced the soil physicochemical properties studied. Based on these findings, FS and HG systems have enormous potential to enhance soil fertility and reduce mining of soil nutrients and more sustainable system. Overall, we conclude that an organic material addition is likely to be an important feature of many of the solutions to the low level of soil nutrients in the agroforestry system.