Linking selected soil properties to land use and hillslope - A watershed case study in the Ethiopian Highlands

Addis, Hailu Kendie; Klik, Andreas; Oweis, Theib; Strohmeier, Stefan

doi:10.17221/117/2015-swr

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…According to Yossif and Ebied (2015) and Addis et al (2016a) slope gradient had signi cant effects on soil pH, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, and total nitrogen. This is due to the steeper the slope, the higher the runoff, and the greater the relocation of soil materials downslope through rainfall-driven erosion.…”

Section: Soil Ph Organic Carbon and Cation Exchange Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of soil and water conservation measures and slope position on selected soil attributes at a watershed scale

Retta

Addis

Feyisa

2021

Preprint

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Background: The Ethiopian highlands are affected by soil loss caused by soil erosion resulted in soil properties deterioration. To reverse this, different soil and water conservation (SWC) measures were spatially practiced; however, the effect of SWC and slope gradient on soil properties is not studied well in the area. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of SWC and slope gradient on selected soil physicochemical properties at Dawnt watershed, North-western Ethiopia. The treatments were a combination of four different SWC measures with three slope gradients replicated at three sites. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from 0-20cm soil depth and physicochemical properties were determined following standard laboratory procedures. Results: The lab results depict that sand, bulk density, moisture, particle density, porosity, pH, organic carbon (OC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), total nitrogen, and available phosphorus were significantly (P<0.05) affected by SWC measures and slope gradient. High OC (2.44%), CEC (45cmol (+) kg-1), and moisture (19.55%) were obtained from Stone-Faced Soil Bund stabilized with Grass (SFSBG) and high available phosphorus (7.83ppm) from Soil Bund (SB) while lower bulk density (1.13gm/cm3) from SFSBG. Additionally, higher clay (41.67%) and moisture (19.81%) and lower bulk density (1.14g/cm3) were obtained from the lower slope. Higher pH (6.75) and OC (2.89%) were recorded at lower slope under SFSBG and lower pH and OC (6.03 and 1.02%) at the upper slope with non-conserved. Soil chemical properties, except available potassium, were increased down the slope.Conclusion: The interactions of slope position and SWC measures affect soil texture; pH, organic carbon, and available phosphorus but do not affect soil bulk density, moisture content, particle density, total porosity, cation exchange capacity, total nitrogen, and available potassium. In generally, the soil properties were improved through integrating conservation practices with multipurpose grass species across the study watershed. Therefore, in the study watershed and other similar agro-ecologies, farmers should use integrated SWC measures to avert the rainfall-driven soil nutrient loss.

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Section: Soil Ph Organic Carbon and Cation Exchange Capacitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of soil and water conservation measures and slope position on selected soil attributes at a watershed scale

Retta

Addis

Feyisa

2021

Preprint

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“…This watershed was selected because it is representative for this region with respect to land use and topography (Bayu et al, 2015). About 30% of the watershed has slopes <18%, and this area is used as cropland whereas the steeper parts are mainly forests (Addis, Klik, Oweis, & Strohmeier, 2016).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of stone bunds on temporal and spatial variability of soil physical properties: A field study from northern Ethiopia

Klik

Schürz

Strohmeier³

et al. 2018

Land Degrad Dev

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In the Ethiopian Highlands, stone bunds (SBs) are a common practice for soil and water conservation, influencing runoff and erosion processes from sloped agricultural areas. The objective of this study was to investigate how SBs affect spatiotemporal relationships of these processes to better understand their impacts on soil water development at the smallholder farmer's field level. Study area was the Gumara‐Maksegnit Watershed in northern Ethiopia, where two representative transects were investigated: One transect crossed a 71 m‐long field intersected by 2 SBs traced along the contour. The second transect crossed a similar hillslope without conservation structures at a length of 55 m representing baseline (untreated) conditions (no stone bund). During the rainy season of 2012, bulk density and volumetric water content were monitored, and tension disc infiltrometer experiments were performed to determine the saturated hydraulic conductivity and to derive soil water retention characteristics. Our observations show that SB decreased significantly soil bulk density in center and lower zones of SB transect compared with no stone bund. No temporal change was observed. Results targeting the surface soil moisture indicate that infiltration was higher with SB and happened earlier in the rainy season in the zones around the SBs. Saturated hydraulic conductivity was positively affected by SB and increased significantly. Improved soil hydrology by SB fields may increase crop yields by higher soil water contents but also by extending the growing season after the rainy season. Therefore, SBs are a successful measure to establish climate‐resilient agriculture in the Ethiopian Highlands.

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“…The soil samples were preserved in three replicates for each treatment. pH meter was used to measure the pH of soil (ADDIS et al, 2016), while conductivity meter was used for determining the electrical conductivity (EC) (SPARKS et al, 1996). The estimation of soil organic carbon was done by following the procedures suggested by Walkley and Black involving rapid titration method (KACHI et al, 2016).…”

Section: Physico-chemical Analyses Of Soilmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revamping soil quality and correlation studies for yield and yield attributes in sorghum-legumes intercropping systems

Iqbal¹,

Iqbal²,

Maqbool³

et al. 2018

Biosci. J.

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Restoration, preservation and sustainability of agricultural resources including soil demands biologically and economically viable farming practices. For boosting physico-chemical properties of soil from 2012 to 2015, three legumes including cowpea, cluster bean and soybean were intercropped with sorghum in 40-60, 75-25 and 100-100 seed blending ratios, while pure stand of sorghum was kept for comparison. Correlation studies were also conducted to determine linear or inverse relationship between physiological and agronomic attributes with green forage yield of sorghum. Results revealed that intercropping systems were not effective in significantly improving the physical properties of soil, however soybean and sorghum mixed seeded crop in 100-100 seed ratio resulted in the highest total and available nitrogen especially during last two years of the study and it was followed by mixed seeded crop of cluster bean and sorghum (100-100 seed ratio), while pure stand of sorghum appeared to be the most exhaustive farming system. Correlation analysis depicted a linear relationship between all agronomic attributes (seedling count, plant population at harvest, plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves and leaf area per plant, fresh and dry weights per plant) and physiological growth parameters (leaf area index and leaf area duration, crop growth rate and net assimilation rate) with forage yield of sorghum. Thus, legumes inclusion was found to be effective in restoring soil fertility, while long term legumes inclusion by following rotation may be suggested.

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Linking selected soil properties to land use and hillslope - A watershed case study in the Ethiopian Highlands

Cited by 11 publications

References 21 publications

Impacts of soil and water conservation measures and slope position on selected soil attributes at a watershed scale

Impacts of soil and water conservation measures and slope position on selected soil attributes at a watershed scale

Impact of stone bunds on temporal and spatial variability of soil physical properties: A field study from northern Ethiopia

Revamping soil quality and correlation studies for yield and yield attributes in sorghum-legumes intercropping systems

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