scholarly journals Effect of Land Use on Soil Quality in Afaka Forest Northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
H. Haruna
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Soil Fertility Management

Land use changes from forest into cultivated ecosystems result in negative impact on soil structure and quality. The purpose of this study was to determine effect of land use on soil quality in Afaka forest northern guinea savannah of Nigeria. Land use systems, including natural forest and cultivated land were identified. Eighteen (18) composite disturbed and undisturbed samples were collected from depth of 0-5 and 5-10 cm for analysis of pertinent soil properties in the laboratory using grid procedure. Most physical and chemical properties show relative variations in response to land use types and geomorphic positions. Results  indicate  that the soils had  high degree of weathering potentials, low  to moderate  bulk density at 0-5cm depth values between 1.42 to 1.49 Mg m-3 in  forest and  cultivated land, bulk density of  1.34 and 1.46 1.Mg m-3at 5 -1ocm depth   for forest and  cultivated land respectively. The soil water at 0-5cm depth is from 4.20 to 2.63 cm3/cm3, while at 5-10 cm depth these values vary from 4.32 to 2.13 cm3/cm3 under forest and cultivation land use. The pH (H2O) is 6.9 to 7.16 with low electrical conductivity of 0.13 dS/m(forest) and 0.12 dS/m (cultivation). The CEC of soils is recorded as 8.60 cmol kg-1 (forest) to 8.54 cmol kg-1 (cultivated)whereas  total nitrogen content of 1.21 g kg-1 and 1.11 g kg-1 and available phosphorus of 8.78 mg kg-1 (cultivated) and 5.47 mg kg-1 (forest).. Results indicate that soil fertility parameters were moderate to low for cultivated land and at all slope positions, suggesting that soil fertility management is required in order to make agriculture sustainable on Afaka area.

scholarly journals The Effect of Land Use Systems on Soil Properties; A case study from Rwanda

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theobald Bizuhoraho ◽  
Alexis Kayiranga ◽  
Noel Manirakiza ◽  
Khaldoon A. Mourad
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Exchangeable Potassium ◽  
Available Nitrogen

Land use change has a significant impact on the ecosystem. In this paper the effects of land use change on the physicochemical properties of the soil in Rulindo District, Rwanda have been studied. Three different land use types were selected; forestland, cattle farmland and cultivated land. A randomised complete block research design was used to carry out this research. Nine soil samples were collected and then analysed. The distributed samples were analysed in the Soil Laboratory of University of Rwanda-Busogo campus, while the undisturbed samples were analysed in-situ. Eight physicochemical properties were measured: pH, Organic Matter (OM), available nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, soil bulk density, moisture content and porosity. The results showed that changing land use from forest or farm to cultivated land reduced the organic matter, available nitrogen, soil moisture and porosity while bulk density and pH were significantly increasing. On the other hand, the exchangeable potassium and exchangeable phosphorus did not change significantly for the both land use changes. Hence, the reduction of forestland and farmland are highly sensible to erosion and will decline soil fertility. The paper proposed few steps and recommendations to be the base for a new sustainable land use management in Rwanda.

scholarly journals Assessment of Soil Fertility under Different Land-Use Systems in Dhading District of Nepal

Soil Systems ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudarshan Kharal ◽  
Babu Khanal ◽  
Dinesh Panday
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Soil Health ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Soil Samples ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
Land Use Systems ◽  
Vegetable Farm

Unscientific land use and cropping techniques have led high soil erosion and degradation of soil quality in the mid-hills of Nepal. To understand the effects of land use systems for selected soil chemical properties in mid-hills, composite soil samples at 0 cm to 20 cm depth were collected from five different land-use systems: Grassland, forest land, upland, lowland, and vegetable farms from Dhading district of Nepal in 2017. Soil samples were analyzed for soil fertility parameters: Soil pH, organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), available potassium (K) and its effect due to different land use systems were compared. Results showed that soil pH was neutral in vegetable farms (6.61), whereas the rest of the land-use systems had acidic soils. Soil OM (3.55%) and N (0.18%) content was significantly higher in forest, but the lowest soil OM (1.26%) and N (0.06%) contents were recorded from upland and lowland farms, respectively. Available P was the highest in the vegetable farm (41.07 mg kg−1) and was the lowest in grazing land (2.89 mg kg−1). The upland farm had significantly higher P levels (39.89 mg kg−1) than the lowland farm (9.02 mg kg−1). Available K was the highest in the vegetable farm (130.2 mg kg−1) and lowest in grazing land (36.8 mg kg−1). These results indicated that the land under traditional mixed cereal-based farming had poor soil health compared with adjacent vegetable, grazing, and forest lands among the study area. The variations in soil fertility parameters suggest the immediate need for improvement in soil health of traditional farmlands.

scholarly journals Effects of land cover changes and slope gradient on soil quality in the Gumara watershed, Lake Tana basin of North–West Ethiopia

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mesfin Anteneh Wubie ◽  
Mohammed Assen
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Total Porosity ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Slope Gradient ◽  
Gumara Watershed

Abstract This study evaluated land cover change and slope gradient on selected soil quality parameters in the Gumara watershed, northwestern Ethiopia. 36 soil samples were collected from 0- to 20-cm depth under four land cover types across three slope gradients. The collected soil samples were analyzed for selected soil quality parameters. Result indicated that the bulk density of the soil is different (P < 0.001) in the watershed because of land cover change and slope gradient. Cultivated land and steeper slopes have the highest bulk density and lowest total porosity. On the other hand, the forestland and gentler slopes have lowest bulk density and high total porosity. Intensive cultivation accompanied by continuous conversion of forestland to cultivated land caused high bulk density and low total porosity. Cation exchange capacity, exchangeable magnesium total nitrogen, available phosphorus and potassium negatively correlated with slope gradient. Conversion of forestland to cultivated land contributed to changes in pH (P < 0.05) exchangeable calcium (P < 0.01), potassium (P < 0.001), available phosphorus (P < 0.01) and nitrogen (P < 0.01) content. The soil degradation index results showed that soil organic carbon, nitrogen, available phosphorus and exchangeable potassium contents declined and bulk density increased because of the land cover change. This negative effect on agricultural development and environmental health of the watershed makes an integrated land resource management approach vital for sustaining agricultural productivity and the environment health of the Gumara watershed.

scholarly journals Identification of sensitive indicators to assess the interrelationship between soil quality, management practices and human health

SOIL ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 173-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Zornoza ◽  
J. A. Acosta ◽  
F. Bastida ◽  
S. G. Domínguez ◽  
D. M. Toledo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Aggregate Stability ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Soil Quality Index

Abstract. Soil quality (SQ) assessment has long been a challenging issue, since soils present high variability in properties and functions. This paper aims to increase the understanding of SQ through the review of SQ assessments in different scenarios providing evidence about the interrelationship between SQ, land use and human health. There is a general consensus that there is a need to develop methods to assess and monitor SQ for assuring sustainable land use with no prejudicial effects on human health. This review points out the importance of adopting indicators of different nature (physical, chemical and biological) to achieve a holistic image of SQ. Most authors use single indicators to assess SQ and its relationship with land uses – soil organic carbon and pH being the most used indicators. The use of nitrogen and nutrient content has resulted sensitive for agricultural and forest systems, together with physical properties such as texture, bulk density, available water and aggregate stability. These physical indicators have also been widely used to assess SQ after land use changes. The use of biological indicators is less generalized, with microbial biomass and enzyme activities being the most selected indicators. Although most authors assess SQ using independent indicators, it is preferable to combine some of them into models to create a soil quality index (SQI), since it provides integrated information about soil processes and functioning. The majority of revised articles used the same methodology to establish an SQI, based on scoring and weighting of different soil indicators, selected by means of multivariate analyses. The use of multiple linear regressions has been successfully used for forest land use. Urban soil quality has been poorly assessed, with a lack of adoption of SQIs. In addition, SQ assessments where human health indicators or exposure pathways are incorporated are practically inexistent. Thus, further efforts should be carried out to establish new methodologies to assess soil quality not only in terms of sustainability, productivity and ecosystem quality but also human health. Additionally, new challenges arise with the use and integration of stable isotopic, genomic, proteomic and spectroscopic data into SQIs.

Impacts of land‐use changes on soil fertility in Okomu Forest Reserve, Southern Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glory O. Enaruvbe ◽  
Afolabi O. Osewole ◽  
Ozien P. Mamudu ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo‐Comino
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Forest Reserve ◽  
Southern Nigeria

Land Use Change Effects on Soil Quality in Prince Edward County, ON

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey Watts
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Water Holding Capacity ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Prince Edward County ◽  
Effects Of Land Use ◽  
Water Holding

Soils play a critical role to society as a medium that facilitates crop production and also contributes to the energy and carbon balance of the Earth System. Land-use change and improper land-use is one of the dominant factors affecting soil erosion and nutrient loss in soils. We examined the effects of land-use change on an Elmbrook clay/clay-loam soil on a farm in Ameliasburg on the northern part of Prince Edward County. Three cover types were examined: a sod field (established for over 10 years), a wheat field (part of a wheat/corn/soybean rotation for 30 years) and an undisturbed deciduous forest. Under each land-use type, cores to a depth of 40 cm were collected along three random 30 m transects (at 8, 16 and 24 m), then divided them into 10 cm increments, combining all similar depth increments along one transect. Soil quality was assessed by analyzing various soil physical and chemical properties. Bulk density of the soil was much higher (1.55 vs. 0.95 g/cm3) in both agricultural ecosystems compared to the forest, but only in the 0-10 cm layer. Soil moisture at 60% water holding capacity was much greater for the forest than the sod and wheat soils. Soil pH was slightly lower in the forest compared to the sod and wheat fields. The sod and wheat fields showed losses of ~52% and ~53% organic matter, respectively, in contrast to the forested area. The greatest differences in organic matter and total carbon were found in the top 10 cm, likely due to the greater accumulation of litter at the ground surface in the forest compared to the agricultural sites. It appears that long-term (10 year) agricultural production has led to a decline in some, but not all, soil quality measures, particularly soil organic matter, bulk density and water holding capacity. These findings are consistent with much of the literature concerning the effects of land-use change on soil quality, and highlight the need to develop improved management systems to minimize losses in soil quality that can lead to declines in the productivity potential of soils over time.

scholarly journals Modeling Land Use Changes and their Impacts on Non-Point Source Pollution in a Southeast China Coastal Watershed

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Lin Zhou ◽  
Yuqi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Point Source ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Point Source Pollution ◽  
Coastal Watershed ◽  
Non Point Source Pollution

Changes in landscape patterns in a river basin play a crucial role in the change on load of non-point source pollution. The spatial distribution of various land use types affects the transmission of non-point source pollutants on the basis of source-sink theory in landscape ecology. Jiulong River basin in southeast of China was selected as the study area in this paper. Aiming to analyze the correlation between changing landscape patterns and load of non-point source pollution in this area, traditional landscape metrics and the improved location-weighted landscape contrast index based on the minimum hydrological response unit (HRULCI) were applied in this study, in combination with remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) technique. The results of the landscape metrics showed the enhanced fragmentation extent and the decreasing polymerization degree of the overall landscape in the watershed. High values of HRULCI were concentrated in cultivated land, while low HRULCI values mostly appeared in forestland, indicating that cultivated land substantially enhanced non-point source pollution, while forestland inhibited the pollution process.

scholarly journals Sedentary Agriculture and Its Implications on Soil Quality in Agro-pastoral Semi-arid Karamoja, Uganda

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
S. Muwanga ◽  
R. Onwonga ◽  
S. O. Keya ◽  
E. Komutunga
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Data Base ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Indicators ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Soil Quality Indicators ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Semi Arid

Uganda Government embarked on promoting sedentary agriculture in Karamoja agro-pastoral semi-arid livelihood zone, which experience rapid environmental and high soil quality (SQ) decline. However, studies on sedentary agriculture&rsquo;s impact on soil quality using farmer&rsquo;s knowledge is limited. Consequently, a survey was carried out in Karamoja (Iriiri, Matany Sub-counties of Napak of districts and Rengen sub-county of Kotido) to determine the soil quality indicator parameters based on the farmers knowledge in order to build a local soil knowledge data base to better inform sustainable land use strategies. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, forty indigenous farmers per sub-county, were interviewed between August and September, 2015. The study took into account the social demographic characteristics of the people, farming enterprises, methods of crops production, crops yields trends, causes of the perceived yields trends and soil quality indicators. Prospects of developing Karamoja indigenous knowledge data base lies in visible feature that predict soil quality. Farmers used 36 parameters to determine SQ. The parameters were clustered into five categories; soil, crop, biological, environmental and management each category contributing to 42, 19,14,8 and 17% of the total indicators, respectively. The relationship between age group and the perceived indicators of soil fertility was statistically significant (p-value = 0.045) with the majority stating that they use either soil colour, soil depth or soil texture to express the fertility of soil. The farmer&rsquo;s soil quality indicators assessed in this study, is important in establishing indigenous-scientific hybrid knowledge data base to enhance soil fertility maintenance and better inform policy makers and other stakeholders on development of sustainable land use strategies.

scholarly journals Rethinking Eucalyptus globulus Labill. Based Land Use Systems in Smallholder Farmers Livelihoods: A Case of Kolobo Watershed, West Shewa, Ethiopia

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dadi Feyisa ◽  
Endalkachew Kissi ◽  
Zerihun Kebebew
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Eucalyptus Globulus ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Central Highland ◽  
Land Use System ◽  
Physical And Chemical

AbstractDespite their restriction, smallholder farmers have been continuing growing Eucalyptus globulus in the cultivated land in the central highland of Ethiopia. Literature has shown controversial issues against E. globulus. Therefore, the objective of the study was to investigate the compatibility of E. globulus in the smallholder farmers’ land use system. Soil samples were collected from five different land uses and analysed for selected physical and chemical properties. The socioeconomic contribution of E. globulus was collected through household surveys from 110 households. Analysis of soil showed that organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) were significantly higher (P<0.05) under E. globulus compared to the cultivated land. The survey results also showed that the largest proportion (58%) of households was interested in growing E. globulus because of its multiple uses. About 83% of households responded that E. globulus help them to attain food security through increasing the purchasing power of smallholder farmers to buy agricultural inputs and food. This study has substantiated the role of E. globulus in the land use system of smallholder farmers. Most of the soil fertility indicators were better under E. globulus. The present finding reveals that E. globulus degrade the soil seemingly difficult to generalise. Growing E. globulus must be promoted under appealing land use to enhance smallholder farmers’ livelihoods. Removing E. globulus from the land use system may jeopardise the food security situation of many households.

scholarly journals Assessment of fertility status of soils under land use types in Egbema Area, Imo State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
C. Chikere-Njoku
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Ph ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Fallow Land ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Fertility Status ◽  
Oil Palm Plantation ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Land Use System

The study was conducted to investigate fertility status under four different land use types (oil palm plantation, pineapple orchard, cassava cultivated land and fallow land use system) in Umuekem, Ohaji/Egbema of Imo State, Nigeria. Composite samples were collected from various depths (10-15cm, 15-30cm, 30-45cm) across these land use patterns and analyzed in the laboratory using the standard procedure. Data generated were subjected to statistical analysis. Results obtained showed significant differences (p ≥ 0.05) in silt-clay ratio, bulk density, total porosity, water holding capacity, soil pH, organic carbon, available phosphorus, TN and ECEC across the four land use types studied. The soils were predominantly loamy sand surface and sandy clay loam in the subsoil exception of pineapple orchard with sandy loam topsoil over sandy clay loam subsoil. The silt clay ratio (SCR) showed ranges of 0.10-0.30, 0.10-0.36, 0.07 – 0.30, and 0.06- 0.20 in land use types of oil palm plantation, pineapple orchard, cassava cultivated land and fallow land respectively. The bulk density ranged of (1.61 – 1.77 g/cm3) for oil palm, (1.34 – 1.58 g/cm3) for pineapple (1.42 – 1.49 g/cm3) cassava and (1.45 – 1.48 g/cm3) in forest land use system. The soils of the four land use types were generally acidic. The mean values of soil pH (H20) were oil palm plantation (5.11), pineapple orchard (5.03), cassava cultivated land (5.35) and fallow land (5.40). The soil pH recorded low variation in all the land use types. The organic carbon and total nitrogen recorded high variation (>52.57% < 85.67%, >79.19 < 95.77) in all the different land use types. Calcium-magnesium ratio (Ca: Mg) recorded high variation (37.36%) in forest land use system, low variation (18.77%) in pineapple orchard and moderate in cassava (27.51%) and oil palm plantation (28.23). The low Ca: Mg ratio inhibits uptake and causes Ca deficiency thereby resulting in low fertility status of the soil. C: P recorded high variation (≥ 53.77% ≤ 77.73%) in all the studied land use types. O.C correlated positively and highly significant with available phosphorus, ECEC and T.N. The findings also indicated that bulk density correlated positively with ECEC and percentage base saturation. It is recommended that land use approach should be adopted for effective and sustainable management of the soil fertility. Keywords: Fertility status, Soils, Land use types

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