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Variation in Soil Properties under Long-Term Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Cropping and Other Land-Use Systems in Dura Catchment, Northern Ethiopia

View ORCID ProfileGebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn, Teklebirhan Arefaine Gebru
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/755256
Gebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn
Department of Soil Resources and Watershed Management, College of Agriculture, P.O. Box 314, Aksum University, Shire-Campus, Shire, Ethiopia
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  • For correspondence: gebre33@gmail.com
Teklebirhan Arefaine Gebru
Department of Water resource and Irrigation Engineering, School of Water Technology, P.O. Box 314, Aksum University, Shire-Campus, Shire, Ethiopia
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Abstract

There are limited reports about the impacts of long-term irrigated and non-irrigated cropping and land-use systems (CLUS) on soil properties and nutrient stocks under smallholder farmers’ conditions in developing countries. The objective of this research was to examine variation in soil properties and OC and TN stocks across the different CLUS in Dura sub-catchment, northern Ethiopia. Surveys and discussions on field history were used to identify nine CLUS, namely, tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc) Trot)) mono-cropping (TM), maize (Zea mays L.) mono-cropping (MM), cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis)-maize intercropping (IC1), red beet (Beta Vulgaris)-maize intercropping (IC2), cauliflower-tef-maize rotation (R1), onion (Allium cepa L.)-maize-onion rotation (R2), treated gully (TG), untreated gully (UTG), and natural forest system (NF). A total of 27 composite soil samples were collected randomly from the CLUS for laboratory analysis. Data were subjected to one-way analysis of variance and PCA. The lowest and highest bulk density was determined from NF (1.19 Mg m-3) and UTG (1.77 Mg m-3), respectively. Soil pH, EC and CEC varied significantly among the CLUS. The highest CEC (50.3 cmolc kg-1) was under TG followed by NF. The highest soil OC stock (113.6 Mg C ha-1) and TN stock (12.2 Mg C ha-1) were found from NF. The PCA chosen soil properties explained 87% of the soil quality variability among the CLUS. Such soil properties and nutrient stocks variability among the CLUS suggested that introduction of suitable management practices are crucial for sustaining the soil system of the other CLUS.

  • Abbreviations

    OC
    organic carbon;
    TN
    total nitrogen;
    EC
    electrical conductivity;
    CEC
    cation exchangeable capacity;
    Ex Na, Ex Ca, and Ex Mg
    exchangeable sodium, calcium, magnesium, respectively;
    Pav
    available phosphorus;
    A_h
    depth of A-horizon;
    PCA
    principal component analysis.
  • Copyright 
    The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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    Posted September 02, 2019.
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    Variation in Soil Properties under Long-Term Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Cropping and Other Land-Use Systems in Dura Catchment, Northern Ethiopia
    Gebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn, Teklebirhan Arefaine Gebru
    bioRxiv 755256; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/755256
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    Variation in Soil Properties under Long-Term Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Cropping and Other Land-Use Systems in Dura Catchment, Northern Ethiopia
    Gebreyesus Brhane Tesfahunegn, Teklebirhan Arefaine Gebru
    bioRxiv 755256; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/755256

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