Land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in some selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon

ABSTRACTLand use change affects soil forming processes and modifies site conditioning factors. This paper evaluates land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon. Three topographic zones comprising; low altitude (<1200m), mid-...

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Main Authors: Brenda T. Mbibueh, Reeves M. Fokeng, Valentine A. Tellen, Ivo T. Tawe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-03-01
Series:Geology, Ecology, and Landscapes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24749508.2024.2328899
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author Brenda T. Mbibueh
Reeves M. Fokeng
Valentine A. Tellen
Ivo T. Tawe
author_facet Brenda T. Mbibueh
Reeves M. Fokeng
Valentine A. Tellen
Ivo T. Tawe
author_sort Brenda T. Mbibueh
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACTLand use change affects soil forming processes and modifies site conditioning factors. This paper evaluates land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon. Three topographic zones comprising; low altitude (<1200m), mid-altitude (1200-1500m), and high altitude (˃1500m), under four land use types were studied. 60 soil samples were collected on plots of 30m2, at 0-20cm depth and subjected to chemical analyses. Significant relationships between variables were established via ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation tests. The results revealed significant correlation between soil properties at (P<0.05) and (P<0.01) confident intervals between soil properties with land use and elevation classes. A significant decline (P< 0.01) was observed in the concentrations of pH, Base Saturation (BS), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Total Nitrogen (TN), Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), Soil Organic Matter (SOM), Phosphorus (P) and exchangeable bases in farmlands. Soil chemical properties showed variations across land uses and elevation classes. Soil pH, BS, CEC, SOC, SOM, P, and Ca2+ were statistically significant with topographic variations, while BS, CEC, TN, and Mg2+ varied significantly with land use. Exchangeable potassium (K+) and exchangeable sodium (Na+) showed no significant variations with land use and topographic position.
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spelling doaj.art-a8097d46d870473582d8e685b53da4532024-04-02T10:44:49ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGeology, Ecology, and Landscapes2474-95082024-03-0112210.1080/24749508.2024.2328899Land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in some selected sites of the North West Region of CameroonBrenda T. Mbibueh0Reeves M. Fokeng1Valentine A. Tellen2Ivo T. Tawe3Interdisciplinary Geoinformation Science Research Group, Institute of Geography, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum, GermanyDepartment of Geography and Planning, Faculty of Arts, The University of Bamenda, Bambili, CameroonDepartment of Agronomic and Applied Molecular Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Buea, Buea, CameroonDepartment of Economics and Environmental Sciences, National Centre for Education, Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Yaoundé, CameroonABSTRACTLand use change affects soil forming processes and modifies site conditioning factors. This paper evaluates land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon. Three topographic zones comprising; low altitude (<1200m), mid-altitude (1200-1500m), and high altitude (˃1500m), under four land use types were studied. 60 soil samples were collected on plots of 30m2, at 0-20cm depth and subjected to chemical analyses. Significant relationships between variables were established via ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation tests. The results revealed significant correlation between soil properties at (P<0.05) and (P<0.01) confident intervals between soil properties with land use and elevation classes. A significant decline (P< 0.01) was observed in the concentrations of pH, Base Saturation (BS), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Total Nitrogen (TN), Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), Soil Organic Matter (SOM), Phosphorus (P) and exchangeable bases in farmlands. Soil chemical properties showed variations across land uses and elevation classes. Soil pH, BS, CEC, SOC, SOM, P, and Ca2+ were statistically significant with topographic variations, while BS, CEC, TN, and Mg2+ varied significantly with land use. Exchangeable potassium (K+) and exchangeable sodium (Na+) showed no significant variations with land use and topographic position.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24749508.2024.2328899Land usetopographysoil qualitycrop nutrientssustainable agriculture
spellingShingle Brenda T. Mbibueh
Reeves M. Fokeng
Valentine A. Tellen
Ivo T. Tawe
Land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in some selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon
Geology, Ecology, and Landscapes
Land use
topography
soil quality
crop nutrients
sustainable agriculture
title Land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in some selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon
title_full Land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in some selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon
title_fullStr Land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in some selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon
title_full_unstemmed Land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in some selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon
title_short Land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in some selected sites of the North West Region of Cameroon
title_sort land use and topographic controls on soil chemical properties in some selected sites of the north west region of cameroon
topic Land use
topography
soil quality
crop nutrients
sustainable agriculture
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24749508.2024.2328899
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