Variations in Soil Physico-Chemical Properties as Influenced by Landuse in a Toposequence

Abstract

Soil, water and air work interchangeably for optimum growth and productivity. Soil as a resource provides crops with essential nutrients necessary for growth and human consumption. With the insurgence of high population growth leading to pressure on lands, poor land management etc., this tendency of the soil as a nutrient pool is seen to be dwindling. It is therefore prudent to investigate and understand the dynamism of soil properties to inform proper management. Understanding topography effects and assessing soil properties on different slope positions is a first-hand step in ensuring proper soil management practices. This paper considers the assessment of physico-chemical properties of soils located on different slope gradients and land use types on the Wamaso research site in Ghana made principally of cape coast granite. In all, eighteen samples were collected from identified horizons of five distinctive subsections of the slope were delineated as follows, summit (PP1), shoulder (PP2), middle (PP3), foot slope (PP4) and toe slope (PP5) respectively. Remarkable variations were observed within PP1 to PP3 and then PP5. Pearson’s correlation index revealed that the associations between most of the soil physico-chemical were not consistent across the identified slope positions. The biplot of the first two principal components together is 68.3% of the total variation and might be interpreted as change in Cation exchange capacity, sodium, sand and clay. On the first axis highlights the influence of sand and clay on soil fertility, also the relationship between pH and Na. Organic carbon derived from organic matter contributes to the availability of the basic soil cations and therefore enhances ECEC of the soils and hence the relationship obtained from the biplot. In sum, this research achieved the objective which sought to substantiate indeed the impact topography has on soil physico-chemical properties thereby serving as a reference for the classification of the soils identified.