Characteristics of soil quality attributes under different agroecosystems and its implications for agriculture in the Choke Mountain watershed in Ethiopia

作     者：Demeku MESFIN Engdawork ASSEFA Belay SIMANE Demeku MESFIN;Engdawork ASSEFA;Belay SIMANE

作者机构：College of Development StudiesCenter for Environment and DevelopmentAddis Ababa UniversityAddis Ababa 1000Ethiopia College of Social Science and HumanitiesDepartment of Geography and Environmental StudiesWolaita Sodo UniversityWolaita Sodo 4620Ethiopia 

出 版 物：《Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering》 (农业科学与工程前沿（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2024年第11卷第2期

页      面：303-313页

核心收录：

学科分类：09[农学] 0903[农学-农业资源与环境] 090301[农学-土壤学] 

主　　题：Agroecosystem Choke Mountain watershed coefficients of variation Ethiopia soil quality indicator 

摘      要：Awareness of how soil properties vary over agroecosystems(AES) is essential for understanding soil potentials and improving site-specific agricultural management strategies for a sustainable ecosystem. This study examined the characteristics of soil quality attributes and implications for agriculture in the Choke Mountain watershed in Ethiopia. Forty-seven composite soil samples(0–20 cm deep) were collected from lowland and valley fragmented(AES 1),midland plain with black soil(AES 2), midland plain with brown soil(AES 3),sloppy midland land(AES 4), and hilly and mountainous highlands(AES 5).Ten of 15 soil quality properties were significant(P 0.05 or 0.01), including silt, exchangeable bases, cation exchange capacity, percent base saturation,p H, organic matter, total nitrogen and available phosphorous(P) across the five AES. However, all properties were variable with coefficients of variation from 7%(total porosity) to 169%(available P) across the AES. Although AES 2and 3 are affected by waterlogging and acidity, these two have better prospects for agriculture, but AES 1, 4, and 5 are unsuitable for agriculture because of soil erosion. Therefore, appropriate and applicable soil management strategies, particularly lime application and organic fertilizer, are fundamental to reversing soil acidity and improving soil fertility.