The effect of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties in Shihatig watershed, Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia
Different land use practices have a substantial influence on soil quality. An inappropriate land use system in Ethiopia leads to extensive deforestation which aggravates the loss of soil fertility. Even though there are various studies conducted on the effect of land use type on soil physicochemical...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023032450 |
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| author | Tigist Kibret Asmare Befkadu Abayneh Melese Yigzaw Tsegaye Adane Birhan |
| author_facet | Tigist Kibret Asmare Befkadu Abayneh Melese Yigzaw Tsegaye Adane Birhan |
| author_sort | Tigist Kibret Asmare |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Different land use practices have a substantial influence on soil quality. An inappropriate land use system in Ethiopia leads to extensive deforestation which aggravates the loss of soil fertility. Even though there are various studies conducted on the effect of land use type on soil physicochemical properties, it is inadequate in the northern highlands of Ethiopia, in particular in the Dabat district. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effect of land use type and soil depth on selected soil physicochemical properties in the Shihatig watershed, Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 24 undisturbed core and disturbed composite soil samples were collected from the four land use types (natural forest, grazing, cultivated, and Eucalyptus lands) and two depths (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm) with three replications. The physicochemical properties of the soil were determined using standard operating procedures. The two-way analysis of variances was conducted using SAS software, Version 9.4. The result showed that the texture and soil organic carbon were affected by land use type, soil depth, and the interaction of the two factors; while bulk density, soil moisture content, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, and level of Mg2+ were significantly affected by both land use and soil depth, whereas pH and electrical conductivity were affected by only the land use type. The highest clay, pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) were recorded in the natural forest land, while the lowest values of the same parameters were found under cultivated land. The mean values of most of the soil properties were low in the cultivated and Eucalyptus lands. Therefore, adopting sustainable cropping systems such as crop rotation and the addition of organic manure, and minimizing planting the Eucalyptus tree is vital to improve the existing soil quality and enhance crop productivity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T08:25:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e9f43679bf61417c896ed5e0858f6f3e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T08:25:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-e9f43679bf61417c896ed5e0858f6f3e2023-05-31T04:46:24ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402023-05-0195e16038The effect of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties in Shihatig watershed, Dabat district, Northwest EthiopiaTigist Kibret Asmare0Befkadu Abayneh1Melese Yigzaw2Tsegaye Adane Birhan3Department of Natural Resource Management, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Gondar, Ethiopia; Corresponding author.Department of Natural Resource Management, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Gondar, EthiopiaDepartment of Natural Resource Management, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of Gondar, EthiopiaDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, EthiopiaDifferent land use practices have a substantial influence on soil quality. An inappropriate land use system in Ethiopia leads to extensive deforestation which aggravates the loss of soil fertility. Even though there are various studies conducted on the effect of land use type on soil physicochemical properties, it is inadequate in the northern highlands of Ethiopia, in particular in the Dabat district. Thus, this study aimed to assess the effect of land use type and soil depth on selected soil physicochemical properties in the Shihatig watershed, Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 24 undisturbed core and disturbed composite soil samples were collected from the four land use types (natural forest, grazing, cultivated, and Eucalyptus lands) and two depths (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm) with three replications. The physicochemical properties of the soil were determined using standard operating procedures. The two-way analysis of variances was conducted using SAS software, Version 9.4. The result showed that the texture and soil organic carbon were affected by land use type, soil depth, and the interaction of the two factors; while bulk density, soil moisture content, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, cation exchange capacity, and level of Mg2+ were significantly affected by both land use and soil depth, whereas pH and electrical conductivity were affected by only the land use type. The highest clay, pH, electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, cation exchange capacity, and exchangeable cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) were recorded in the natural forest land, while the lowest values of the same parameters were found under cultivated land. The mean values of most of the soil properties were low in the cultivated and Eucalyptus lands. Therefore, adopting sustainable cropping systems such as crop rotation and the addition of organic manure, and minimizing planting the Eucalyptus tree is vital to improve the existing soil quality and enhance crop productivity.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023032450Land useSoil depthPhysicochemical propertiesWatershed |
| spellingShingle | Tigist Kibret Asmare Befkadu Abayneh Melese Yigzaw Tsegaye Adane Birhan The effect of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties in Shihatig watershed, Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia Heliyon Land use Soil depth Physicochemical properties Watershed |
| title | The effect of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties in Shihatig watershed, Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia |
| title_full | The effect of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties in Shihatig watershed, Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia |
| title_fullStr | The effect of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties in Shihatig watershed, Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effect of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties in Shihatig watershed, Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia |
| title_short | The effect of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties in Shihatig watershed, Dabat district, Northwest Ethiopia |
| title_sort | effect of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties in shihatig watershed dabat district northwest ethiopia |
| topic | Land use Soil depth Physicochemical properties Watershed |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023032450 |
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