Soil Quality Variation between Prosopis juliflora Dominated Land and Adjacent Land Use Types: The Case of Dupti Sub-Watershed, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted in Dupti sub-watershed, Afar Region, Ethiopia with the objective assessing soil quality variation between Prosopis juliflora land and adjacent land use types. A total of 18 soil samples (3 LUT x 2 soil depth layers x 3 replicates of sample plot) were collected and soil physico-chemical quality indicators were analyzed. Parameters such as SOC, Total N, available P, Electrical conductivity, Sand fraction, and exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg & K) content were found to be highest in the prosopis land than others, while pH, CEC and clay content were highest in the cultivated land; and pH was lowest under prosopis land while exchangeable Na and silt content were highest under the bare land.  Exchangeable (Ca, Mg and K) were found to be lower under the bare land, while exchangeable Na was lower in prosopis land. Sand and clay, Bulk &Particle density, PWP and Exchangeable Na increased with soil depth while silt, FC, AWHC, Exchangeable Ca &Mg, pH, SOC, Total N, available P, CEC, and EC decreased with soil depth. Generally, most soil quality indicators show significant variation (p≤0.05) between prosopis dominated land and adjacent land use types. Thus, prosopis dominated land has better soil quality than adjacent land use types. Therefore, Control of prosopis will be the best option when it is acknowledged for its various economic and ecological values while eradication can be applied where it get out of control in highly valuable irrigable areas and grazing lands seems quite important to improve and sustain the soil quality and to maintain the sustainability of  Ecology.

Keywords: Prosopis juliflora, Land use types, Soil depth, Soil Quality