Effects of topography and land use on soil characteristics along the toposequence of Ele watershed in Southern Ethiopia

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dc.contributor.authorDessalegn, Dinku
dc.contributor.authorBeyene Jiru, Sheleme
dc.contributor.authorRam, Nand
dc.contributor.authorWalley, Fran
dc.contributor.authorGala, Tekleab S.
dc.date.accessioned2015-02-05T19:26:19Z
dc.date.available2015-02-05T19:26:19Z
dc.date.copyright2013
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractInformation on soil properties and distribution is critical for making decisions with regard to crop production and mitigating land degradations. A reasonable way of deriving the information is using proxy environmental characteristics that have demonstrated relationships with soil properties. A field study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between topography, land use and soil properties. Three slope classes were considered and a total of three pedons, one on each slope class, were opened and described at the Ele watershed in southern Ethiopia. Soil samples collected from identified horizons of each pedon were analyzed for physicochemical properties. Additionally, random soil samples were collected from adjacent cultivated, grassland and forest soils; and three composites were made for each land use type within the three slope classes. All three pedons showed remarkable variability in physical, chemical, and morphological characteristics of the soils. The field as well as laboratory textural class determinations revealed the dominance of clay fraction in the soils. The existence of buried horizons with abrupt textural as well as sharp changes in color both in dry and in moist showed the occurrence of lithological discontinuity. Both soil pH and EC were low for steep slope and highest for the middle slope class, whereas the organic carbon (OC), total N (TN) and available P decreased down the slope. Gentle and moderate slope classes had the highest exchangeable bases, while the steep slope had the lowest owing to the removal and deposition of exchangeable bases by water erosion. The chemical properties of the soils were also significantly affected by land use. The highest values of both pH and EC were obtained in cultivated land, whereas grassland had relatively more OC, exchangeable Ca, Mg, K and available micronutrients than the other land use types.en
dc.formatTexten
dc.format.extent1 digital file (p. 47-54)en
dc.format.mimetypeApplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationDessalegn, D., Beyene, S., Ram, N., Walley, F., & Gala, T.S. (2014). Effects of topography and land use on soil characteristics along the toposequence of Ele watershed in southern Ethiopia. Catena, 115, 47-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2013.11.007en
dc.identifier.issn0341-8162
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10625/53642
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevieren
dc.subjectWATERSHEDen
dc.subjectPEDONen
dc.subjectPHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIESen
dc.subjectLAND USEen
dc.subjectTOPOSEQUENCEen
dc.subjectETHIOPIAen
dc.subjectSOIL SCIENCESen
dc.subjectSOIL FERTILITYen
dc.subjectLAND DEGRADATIONen
dc.subjectCROP MANAGEMENTen
dc.subjectSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTen
dc.titleEffects of topography and land use on soil characteristics along the toposequence of Ele watershed in Southern Ethiopiaen
dc.typeJournal Article (peer-reviewed)en
idrc.copyright.holderElsevier B.V.
idrc.dspace.accessIDRC Onlyen
idrc.noaccessDue to copyright restrictions the full text of this research output is not available in the IDRC Digital Library or by request from the IDRC Library. / Compte tenu des restrictions relatives au droit d'auteur, le texte intégral de cet extrant de recherche n'est pas accessible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI, et il n'est pas possible d'en faire la demande à la Bibliothéque du CRDI.en
idrc.project.componentnumber106305001
idrc.project.number106305
idrc.project.titleImproving Food Security in the Highlands of Ethiopia through Improved and Sustainable Agricultural Productivity and Human Nutrition (CIFSRF)en
idrc.recordsserver.bcsnumberIC01-605-44
idrc.rims.adhocgroupIDRC SUPPORTEDen

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