Effect of Land Use Types on Selected Soil Physical and Chemical Properties at Sire Morose Sub Watershed, Central Highland of Ethiopia

Abstract

Information about effects of different land use types on soil physical and chemical properties is crucial for best land management practices. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of land use type on selected soil physical and chemical properties at sire morose sub watershed Hidbu abote district Ethiopia. Three land use types were selected from the sub watershed (Forest, grazing and cultivated land). Undisturbed core and disturbed composite soil samples were collected randomly from three sites with three replications from each land use type at two varying depths (0-20 cm and 20-40 cm) and subjected to laboratory soil analysis. Accordingly, the highest mean value sand and clay were recorded in the surface soil of grazing  and  cultivated land respectively. The mean bulk density of the soils ranged from 0.94 to1.4g cm^-3 and the mean total porosity ranged from 52.95 to 64.53%, which indicate good soil structure. The pH ranged from 5.9 to 6.19 while the mean value of OM range from 1.03 to 5.2%. However, the mean value of total  N range from 0.09 to 0.25%. The mean value of available P ranged from 17.67 to 24.8 mg/kg, which implies high available P in the study area. The exchangeable basic cations and CEC values were within medium to high ranges in all land use types. Most of the physical and chemical properties of the soils of the study area were distinctly influenced by the different land use types, whereby the conversion of natural ecosystem into crop/cultivated land ecosystem resulted generally in deterioration of the soil physicochemical properties.

Keywords: Soil physicochemical properties, forestland, grazing land, cultivated land

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/14-7-01

Publication date:May 31^st 2023