Chemical Soil Degradation Research Articles

Soil Quality Indices Based on Biological Properties to Assess Chemical Soil Degradation by Metal(loid)s

ABSTRACT Soil quality assessments, rarely applied to contaminated soils with metal(loid)s, consider ecological topics such as multifunctionality, resistance and resilience of microbial communities to perturbations, in addition to ecosystem services. In this study, the effect of metal(loid) contamination was evaluated in soils based on physicochemical and biological properties at different distances from an industrial complex and a Cu smelter. From these properties, soil quality indices (SQIs) were tested to compare their sensitivity and relationship with metal(loid) contamination. Enzyme activities and the average well color development, obtained from the community-level physiological profile, were the most suitable soil quality indicators. These variables along with some physicochemical properties [e.g. total organic carbon, pH, and available metal(loid) contents] were selected to develop SQIs. Five SQIs were calculated, from which the Multifunctionality assessment and the AreaSQI were found to be suitable methods to develop SQIs due to their higher discriminant power and relationship with metal(loid) contamination compared to other SQIs. They were validated using data from the literature, and both showed decreasing values at higher levels of metal(loid) contamination. Although the AreaSQI represents an attractive approach due to its visualization and easy interpretation, the multifunctionality approach showed a stronger sensitivity to chemical degradation by metal(loid)s in soil and offered an easier and faster calculation alternative.

Soil Health and Nutrient Management

Soil health and appropriate nutrient management are critical components of sustainable agriculture, influencing crop yield, environmental sustainability, and overall food security. The ability of soil to function as a living ecosystem is referred to as soil health. supports plant and animal life while protecting the environment. It refers to how physical, chemical, and biological activity interact in the soil. Mineral matter, organic matter, water, and air are all critical components of soil health, and each contributes to plant growth. Soil health indicators include physical, chemical, and biological factors that help assess the soil's state. For optimal soil health, these indicators must be balanced.
 However, there are significant issues to address, such as decreased soil organic matter, declining soil fertility due to nutrient deficits, physical soil degradation, and chemical soil degradation caused by excessive chemical use. Practices for sustainable soil management are critical for addressing these concerns. Balanced fertilization, organic matter incorporation, crop rotation, cover cropping, reduced tillage, and precision nutrient delivery are examples of these. Mitigating issues such as nutrient pollution, soil erosion, and soil deterioration is critical to maintaining agriculture's long-term viability.

Temperature stress (cold and heat) strongly affect the phytotoxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (phenanthrene) to wheat

AbstractAnthropogenic activity could create different threats leading to irreversible changes in the global environment and, as a consequence, posing varied stressful conditions acting together (combined stress) on organisms. Our research concerned the combined stress of two of the main threats to soil health and plant health: temperature stress and pollution. The aim of this research was the quantitative assessment of the impact of temperature stress on the phytotoxicity of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; specifically, phenanthrene, which is a widespread, harmful organic contamination of soil) on the growth of wheat seedlings in relation to the level of soil contamination by phenanthrene (0–1000 mg kg−1 dry mass of soil) and the type of temperature stress: cold (10°C) and heat (35°C) stress, in three different soils. Earlier studies have investigated the effect of temperature stress on PAH toxicity mainly on soil invertebrates. However, the impact of temperature stress on PAH phytotoxicity towards crop plants, which are important for human food security but could be affected by chemical soil degradation, is still poorly understood. Our results indicated that the phenanthrene phytotoxicity was significantly enhanced by cold stress and heat stress. The effects of cold and heat temperature stress increased with increasing phenanthrene level. Our research is important for improving the risk assessment of PAH and food security forecasting.

Soil Acidity Formation and its Amelioration Methods in Ethiopia: A Review

Soil acidification is one of the problems of chemical soil degradation affecting soil productivity in the world. This paper attempts to explain the concept of soil acidification, the causes of soil acidification and the methods to remedy it. Farmers need simple and sustainable techniques to improve acidic soils and increase yields of their chosen crops. Recommendations for reclamation of acid soils need to be adapted to new developments, such as liming, use of acid-tolerant crop varieties, integrated soil fertility management, and application of organic fertilizers. This review addresses the causes and management mechanisms of soil acidification and the resulting effects on soil fertility and crop yield. It also provides important information on management options to address soil acidity and improve overall soil fertility, as well as other organic amendments that can be applied to bring soil acidity to the desired pH and improve soil quality and health. Integrated management of acidic soils increases yield stability and maximizes nutrient use efficiency.

Responses of Soil Phosphorus Fractions to Land-Use Change in Colombian Amazon

Intensive land-use change, the overgrazing of pastures, and the poor soil management in the Amazon region induce significant soil chemical degradation, causing alterations in the soil phosphorus (P) dynamics. Here, we studied the changes in P fractions and availability throughout the soil profile along a chronosequence composed of four study areas representing the typical land-use transition from forest to pasture for extensive cattle ranching in the Colombian Amazon region: (i) Forest—Deforested—Pasture 4 years old and Pasture established >25 years after deforestation. Soil samples collected at 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–40 cm depth were used for the sequential fractionation of P, determination of acid phosphatase activity and soil organic carbon (C) content, and calculation of C:organic P (Po) ratio and P stocks. Our results showed that the land-use change caused a decrease of 31.1% in the fractions of labile inorganic P, with the mineralization of organic P by phosphatase enzyme playing an essential role in the P availability. Although according to the C:Po ratio of the deeper layer the P seems to be sufficient to satisfy the plant needs of all the land uses assessed, the exploitation of soil nutrients in pastures reduced by 6.1% the moderately and non-labile P stock. Given the role of cattle ranching in the economy of tropical countries, it is imperative to adopt strategies of soil P management to improve P-use efficiency, avoiding the degradation of grazing land resources while ensuring the long-term sustainability of rangeland livestock and decrease further deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.

Stochastic Assessment of Groundwater Contamination Risks From Onshore Gas Development Using Computationally Efficient Analytical and Numerical Transport Models

Regulators require the gas industry to assess the risks of unintentional release of chemicals to the environment and implement measures to mitigate it. Industry standard models for contaminant transport in aquifers do not explicitly model processes in the unsaturated zone and groundwater models often require long run times to complete simulation of complex processes. We propose a stochastic numerical-analytical hybrid model to overcome these two shortcomings and demonstrate its application to assess the risks associated with onshore gas drilling in the Otway Basin, South Australia. The novel approach couples HYDRUS-1D to an analytical solution to model contaminant transport in the aquifer. Groundwater velocities and chemical trajectories were derived from a particle tracking analysis. The most influential parameters controlling solute delivery to the aquifer were the soil chemical degradation constant and the hydraulic conductivity of a throttle soil horizon. Only 18% of the flow paths intercepted environmental receptors within a 1-km radius from the source, 87% of which had concentrations of <1% of the source. The proposed methodology assesses the risk to environmental assets and informs regulators to implement measures that mitigate risk down to an acceptable level.

Determination of salt dynamics in leached water from cultivated onions (Allium cepa) under two irrigation systems in the Samacá-Boyacá Valley

The water used for agricultural irrigation has significant effects on crop production, along with chemical degradation of soil and water. This study determined the salt dynamics in two irrigation systems for bulb onion cultivation in the Samacá Valley, Colombia. Water samples were taken from the irrigation (reservoir) and the crop with lysimeters. The pH, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfates, chlorides, electrical conductivity (EC), and sodium adsorption ratio (RAS) index were measured. The T-student test was applied to independent samples for the response variables. Significant differences were found between the irrigation systems for EC and SO4 at 100 dat. The irrigation water (reservoir) was classified as C3-S1. The leached water in the two irrigation systems, according to the relative concentration of Na+ with respect to Ca+2 and Mg+2 (RAS) and CE, was C4-S1. Therefore, the water had a high probability of salinization, not suitable for irrigation, meaning that management plans must be carried out to prevent soil and water degradation. These results can be used to develop a sustainable management plan for water and soil resources in the Samacá Valley to prevent loss of productive land.

Development and Comparison of Soil Quality Indices Based on Biological Properties to Assess Chemical Soil Degradation by Metal(Loid)S

Development and Comparison of Soil Quality Indices Based on Biological Properties to Assess Chemical Soil Degradation by Metal(Loid)S

Conceptual approaches to rehabilitation of pesticide-polluted soils of Ukraine

The Concept of Rehabilitation of Contaminated Soils has been developed, which substantiates the ways to restore areas contaminated with persistent organic pesticides. The practical implementation of the Concept will contribute to the transfer of existing land use systems to the principles of sustainable agricultural development, as well as the preservation, reproduction and expansion of biodiversity, as well as improving the environmental safety of agro-ecosystems for sustainable development of the Agrosphere. The Concept combines ways of practical implementation of environmentally friendly methods of cleaning pesticide-contaminated areas and further use of rehabilitated land in the process of agricultural activity in Ukraine. The problem of pesticide pollution of agroecosystems is proposed to be solved by using scientifically sound ecologically safe methods of soil remediation with multicomponent pesticide pollution developed at the Institute of Agroecology and Environmental Management of NAAS, in particular using bioremediation methods. The following are proposed for use: methods of agroecological monitoring of areas contaminated with persistent organic pollutants, methods of phytotesting and phytoremediation of soils contaminated with resistant pesticides. For phytoremediation of contaminated soils, it is proposed to use annual cultivated (barley, wheat, beans, soybeans, zucchini, pumpkin) and wild (dandelion, bitter wormwood, common wormwood, wheatgrass) species of plant-mediators, which are suitable for phytostabilation and in the conditions of multicomponent soil pollution. The main stages of the Concept implementation are: complex agroecological monitoring of soils contaminated with residues of persistent organic pollutants (POPs); comprehensive ecotoxicological assessment of soil condition; determining the degree of chemical degradation of soils; adaptation of remediation technologies to the specifics of the area in need of cleaning; introduction of ecologically safe remediation methods into practical use; realization of prospects of further use of rehabilitated soils in various branches of agriculture; taking into account the ecological and economic efficiency of the use of remediation methods. Possibility and ways of using restored areas in the process of agricultural activity, taking into account the main stages of implementation of the Concept are set out in the developed in the Institute of Agroecology and Environmental Management of NAAS «Scientific and methodological recommendations for restoration of soil contaminated with organochlorine pesticides depending on their toxicity» and «Scientific and methodological recommendations for the use of restored areas in the process of agricultural activity».

PGPR in Agriculture: A Sustainable Approach to Increasing Climate Change Resilience

Growing environmental concerns are potentially narrowing global yield capacity of agricultural systems. Climate change is the most significant problem the world is currently facing. To meet global food demand, food production must be doubled by 2050; over exploitation of arable lands using unsustainable techniques might resolve food demand issues, but they have negative environmental effects. Current crop production systems are a major reason for changing global climate through diminishing biodiversity, physical and chemical soil degradation, and water pollution. The over application of fertilizers and pesticides contribute to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and toxic soil depositions. At this crucial time, there is a pressing need to transition to more sustainable crop production practices, ones that concentrate more on promoting sustainable mechanisms, which enable crops to grow well in resource limited and environmentally challenging environments, and also develop crops with greater resource use efficiency that have optimum sustainable yields across a wider array of environmental conditions. The phytomicrobiome is considered as one of the best strategies; a better alternative for sustainable agriculture, and a viable solution to meet the twin challenges of global food security and environmental stability. Use of the phytomicrobiome, due to its sustainable and environmentally friendly mechanisms of plant growth promotion, is becoming more widespread in the agricultural industry. Therefore, in this review, we emphasize the contribution of beneficial phytomicrobiome members, particularly plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), as a strategy to sustainable improvement of plant growth and production in the face of climate change. Also, the roles of soil dwelling microbes in stress amelioration, nutrient supply (nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization), and phytohormone production along with the factors that could potentially affect their efficiency have been discussed extensively. Lastly, limitations to expansion and use of biobased techniques, for instance, the perspective of crop producers, indigenous microbial competition and regulatory approval are discussed. This review largely focusses on the importance and need of sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches such as biobased/PGPR-based techniques in our agricultural systems, especially in the context of current climate change conditions, which are almost certain to worsen in near future.

Review on role of lime on soil acidity and soil chemical properties

One of the chemical soil degradation difficulties which affect soil production in the Ethiopian highlands is due to soil acidity. These review efforts to put together soil acidity concept, causes extent and management practices. Soil acidity is the problem of agricultural activities in Ethiopian highlands or cultivated lands and is getting an increase. To adjust acid soils and increase yields of crops of their choices farmers need simple and supportable methods, such as liming. An important role for raising soil pH and enhancing crop productivity liming has play an important role. In Ethiopia, because of soil acidity and associated toxic nutrient availability the gap between probable and actual yield is very varied .The application of mineral fertilizers without adjustments is simply wastage of resources, because acidic soils are not reactive those mineral fertilizer. Improving yield production and there by satisfying yield gains effective and efficient acid soil management practices is important .This review emphases on the role of liming on soil chemical properties and also causes and managements of soil acidity and its successive effect on soil fertility and crop yield, in addition to this Integrated acid soil management improves the permanence of yields and maximizes nutrient use efficiency

Winter cover crops effects on soil organic carbon and soil physical quality in a Typical Argiudoll under continuous soybean cropping

The massive adoption of no-tillage (NT), along with the simplification of the cropping sequences has led to physical and chemical degradation of soils. To recover degraded soils, cover crops have been proposed as an alternative to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) and to improve soil physical quality (SPQ). This study aimed (i) to determine the content of SOC and its physical and chemical fractions at different layers and positions, in a soil with a soybean crop under NT with [...]

INFLUENCE OF REGIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF THE SOUTHERN STEPPE OF UKRAINE

The results of scientific research on the current state of agricultural landscapes of the southern Steppe, their ploughing, physical and chemical degradation of soils and the main directions of agro technologicalevents to reduce the manifestation of these negative phenomena are presented. The latter is achieved bycreating highly productive single-species agrophytocenoses of perennial legumes and legume grass mixturesthat are resistant to regional climate change, which has been observed in the southern region in recent years.The systematic expansion of sown areas of grain and industrial crops, which are in demand on the international market, has led to an unstable state of agricultural land in the steppe zone of Ukraine, ploughingwhich at the beginning of the XXI century began to reach the highest rates in the world: Kherson region —90.2%, Kirovohrad — 86.4; Mykolaiv — 84.5; Zaporizhzhia — 84.8; Dnipropetrovsk — 84.5; Donetsk — 81.0; Odesa — 79.7%. Total in the Steppe zone — 81.2%. Established that the plowed areas significantly exceedsecologically acceptable limits, which has helped to increase rapidly the physical and chemical soil degradation, which leads to a considerable reduction of the formation of high yields of crops. The consequences of these changes were extremely unfavorable for the development of agriculture in all areas of the southern Steppe of Ukraine, which is associated with both high ploughing of agricultural landscapes, and with the violation of the structure of crops sown areas. The main direction of ensuring the reduction of physicaland chemical degradation of soils when growing crops in conditions of natural moisture is the creation of high-performance single-species agrophytocenoses of perennial legumes and multi-species legumelaced grass mixtures, resistant to extreme weather conditions that have been observed in recent years inthe southern Steppe zone.

Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics and Properties of Soils under Different Land Uses in the Tejibara Watershed, Ethiopia.

Land use changes have long been considered among many factors responsible for physical and chemical soil degradation. This study was conducted to evaluate land use and land cover (LULC) changes and their cumulative effects over 30 years (from 1989 to 2019) on the current physical and chemical properties of soils in the Tejibara watershed, Ethiopia. Image analysis and LULC classifications were performed using ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 and ArcGIS 10.4 software, respectively. For the determination of soil properties, four land use types (natural forest, eucalyptus plantation, cultivated, and grazing lands) and two soil depths (0–20 and 20–40 cm) were used. Triplicate composite soil samples were collected from each land use type and soil depths. For the determination of physical (texture and bulk density) and chemical soil properties such as electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), and available phosphorus (AP), standard laboratory procedures were employed. The image analysis results for all of the years studied show that cultivated lands have increased in area at the expense of forest and grazing lands. Silt content, clay content, AP, and pH were significantly affected by land use as the main effect while the interaction effects of soil depth and land use were significant for total N and OM only. The highest (10.1 mg/kg) and the lowest (4.9 mg/kg) AP contents were observed in the forest and the grazing lands, respectively. Soil total N content was highest in the forest lands (0.32%) and lowest in cultivated lands (0.06%). Concerning OM content, the highest (11.0%) and the lowest (0.8%) values were recorded in the forest and cultivated lands, respectively. Generally, this study showed that land use changes have reduced the areal coverage by forest and grazing lands and have negatively affected the soil properties. This implies that land use change without soil fertility measures that are appropriate to the area could cause enhanced land degradation and thereby reduce the productivity of the study area soils.

Physicochemical mechanisms underlying soil and organic amendment effects on runoff P losses

AbstractPhosphorus depletion from cultivated lands by runoff is a significant contributor to soil chemical degradation. Our objective was to elucidate the mechanisms through which soil and organic matter amendments affect rain‐induced runoff P losses in Mediterranean soils. Clay, loam, and loamy sand mixed with noncomposted activated sludge (AS), manure compost (MC), industrial humic acid (HA), orthophosphate (Pi), or inositol hexaphosphate (IHP) were subjected to six consecutive artificial rainstorms. Adding amendments significantly increased runoff available Pi loss (the sum of solution and sediments bicarbonate extractable Pi) for all soils. The order of loss (Pi, mg m−2) was soil dependent; greatest and lowest in the loam and loamy sand, respectively (loam: Pi[270] > IHP[128] > AS[108] > MC[97] > HA[49] > Control[33], and loamy sand: AS[42] > HA[23] > Pi[22] > IHP[18] > MC[13] > Control[4]), although order of runoff and soil loss were clay > loam > loamy sand. Treating with IHP and Pi at a similar total P level led to comparable cumulative total‐P runoff losses, but runoff available Pi loss was much greater in the Pi treatment of soils with higher clay content (clay > loam > loamy sand). A derived isotherm relating sediment Olsen Pi to dissolved reactive Pi (DRP) concentration in runoff was found useful for estimating runoff Pi losses from measured DRP, runoff volume, and sediment concentration. The results could be explained by the impact of the amendments on soil structure stability, sealing, runoff, and erosion levels associated with soil physical and chemical degradation.

Effect of Organic Manure on Growth of Linseed (<i>Linum usitatissimum L</i>.) Under Poplar Tree Based Agroforestry System

A field experiment was conducted with linseed under Poplar during Rabi season of 2018 at crop Research Farm, Department of Silviculture & Agroforestry, SHUATS, Prayagraj, (U. P.). An approach to land use that incorporates trees into farming systems, and allows for the production of trees and crops or livestock from the same piece of land in order to obtain economic, ecological, environmental and cultural benefits. Fastgrowing energy plant and trees such as poplar are characterized by short-term growth and weight gain significantly exceeding the average growth of other plant during the growing period. Use of vermicompost for crop growth is in focus in recent researches, but the response to the application of vermicompost had been specific to each plant species and the stage of growth. Such as unbalance continuous application of limited fertilizers both in the amount and type may aggravate the depletion of other important nutrients such as K, Mg, Ca, S and micro-nutrients not supplied by the chemical fertilizer and may also lead to chemical soil degradation. The treatment comprised of FYM 100%, Control, VC 100%, FYM 50%, VC 50%, FYM 75%, VC 75%, FYM 125%, VC 125% under Poplar based Agroforestry. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD). The result Showed that maximum plant height (cm), plant diameter (cm²) recorded at 30, 60, 90 and 120 DAT, capsule per plant, seed per capsule were recorded. The treatment (T₁₁) with application of (FYM 125%) showed the significant superiority in giving the maximum plant height (58.41cm at 120 days), plant diameter (4.43cm² at 120 days), capsule per plant (48.93 at 120 days), and seed per capsule 9.33. Poplar based Agroforestry system could be rank based on economic performance of linseed also recorded in treatment T₁₁ (FYM 125%).

Soil Acidity and its Management Options in Ethiopia: A Review

Soil acidity is one of the chemical soil degradation problems which affect soil productivity in the Ethiopian highlands. This paper tries to put together soil acidity concept, causes, extent and management practices. Soil acidity is the problem of agricultural activities in Ethiopian highlands (cultivated lands) and is getting an increase. Farmers require simple and sustainable techniques to amend acid soils and improve yields of crops of their choices. Recommendations on reclamation of acid soils need to change with new developments, such as liming, use of acid-tolerant crop varieties, integrated soil fertility management, and using of organic fertilizers. Liming has played an important role in raising soil pH and enhancing crop productivity. In Ethiopia, the gap between potential and actual yield is very wide because of soil acidity and associated nutrient availability. Acidic soils are not responsive to the application of inorganic fertilizers without amendments-it is simply wastage of resources. Thus, developing effective and efficient acid soil management practices is indispensable for enhancing crop productivity and thereby sustaining yield gains. This review focuses on the causes and managements of soil acidity and its subsequent effect on soil fertility and crop yield. It also provides important information on management options to amend soil acidity and improve the entire fertility of soils, and other organic amendments that can be applied to remedy soil acidity to the desired pH level and improve soil quality. Integrated acid soil management enhances the stability of yields and maximizes nutrient use efficiency.

Initial growth of tree species grown on salinized soil with conditioners

The excess of salts and sodium is one of the factors that contribute most to the soil chemical degradation. Recovery of these soils requires the establishment of techniques using soil conditioners and more tolerant species. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of soil conditioners on the recovery of a saline - sodic soil and on the growth and physiological responses of tree species. Two experiments were carried out in a greenhouse, both using a completely randomized design. In the first experiment, five treatments were evaluated for soil correction: saline soil with no correction, saline soil + calcium sulfate, saline soil+ sulfur, saline soil + O.M. (organic matter) and non saline soil. The second experiment, consisted of a 4x5 factorial arrangement, with four trees species (Amburana cearensis, Caesalpinia ferrea, Cnidosculus philacanthus and Moringa oleifera) and the five treatments described in the first experiment, with three repetitions. Bovine manure, elemental sulfur and calcium sulfate decrease the salinity and sodicity of saline-sodic soils, especially the latter two, which attenuate the negative effects of salinity and sodicity on the photosynthetic rate of C. philacanthus, M. oleifera and C. ferrea, favoring the growth and dry matter production of C. ferrea and M. oleifera.

Assessment of Soil Degradation and Agricultural Land Suitability for Sustainable Land Management in Alexandria and El-Behiera Governorates, Egypt

The old agricultural land in Egypt is under continuous threat by different forms of land degradation, especiallychemical degradation. This research aimed to (1) assessing and mapping of soil degradation status in some parts ofAlexandria and El-Behiera governorates, (2) addressing causes of soil degradation, and (3) developing a rationalagricultural land use options to increase land productivity. Soil and water samples were collected for the assessment ofsoil degradation and land suitability. Soil degradation was assessed based on the methodology developed by the Food andAgriculture Organization (FAO). Land suitability assessment was performed using the ALESarid-GIS model. Fieldinvestigations and results of soil analyses indicated that the major type of land degradation in the study area is thechemical soil degradation (soil salinization and alkalinization) and the main drivers of degradation are the inappropriateland management practices. The results of soil chemical degradation showed that most of the investigated area (٨٩%) ismoderately degraded soil, whereas the low degraded soils covers the remaining area (11%). Also, the results indicated thatthe whole investigated soils have a moderate level of biological degradation, which regards to the moderate level of soilorganic matter content. The results from ALESarid-GIS indicated that eighteen crops are considered the most suitable togrow in the investigated area. The suitability classes of these crops vary among highly suitable (S1), moderately suitable(S2) and marginally suitable (S3), but (S1+S2) of each crop covers more than 72% of the investigated area. Seven cropscan only be grown economically in in the highest levels of soil salinity and alkalinity in the study area, which are alfalfa,wheat, barley, onion, sugar beet, rice and pear, since only these crops are considered highly (S1) and moderately (S2)suitable to be grown in such levels of salinity and alkalinity

Effects of Liming on Physicochemical Properties and Nutrient Availability of Acidic Soils in Welmera Woreda, Central Highlands of Ethiopia

Soil acidity is one of chemical soil degradation problems which affect productivity of the soil in Ethiopian highlands. The purpose of this research was to identify the status of soil acidity and determine the amount of lime requirement for neutralization to increase plant nutrient availability in Welmera woreda, Oromia region. More specifically the study pointed out statistically, the nutrient availability before and after liming acidic soil using paired t-test. The results indicated that the soil of study area was strongly acidic (pH(H₂O) < 5.3) and exchangeable acidity was from 2.86±0.01 - 3.55±0.07 cmol/Kg. The soil showed low concentration of plant nutrients (AP, TN, K, Ca, Mg) and high in micronutrients (Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn) contents. After 90 days liming in greenhouse incubation of the soil samples, the results showed effective neutralization of the soil, which indicated it was properly limed and the effects of soil acidity on nutrient availability was clearly observed. The concentration of all anions (AP, TN, and OC), cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca⁺² and Mg⁺²) and micronutrients were found to be significantly different except TN and OC, between the soil samples for before and after liming. After limed acidic soils, anion and cations are improved their availability for plant while micronutrients are decreased from toxicity to normal condition.