article · EURASIAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE (EJSS)
Soil quality in Kuyu district, Ethiopia, varies noticeably depending on whether land is used for forestry, cultivation, grazing, or grassland. An evaluation of soil samples collected at two depths reveals that sand content is highest in cultivated land, whereas clay dominates in grasslands. Overall soil compaction remains low across all areas, with bulk density between 1.10 and 1.37 grams per cubic centimetre and total porosity spanning 48.2 to 58.7 percent. Soil pH leans slightly alkaline, ranging from 7.68 to 8.00, and organic matter levels vary between 3.15 and 5.02 percent. Total nitrogen remains modest, while available phosphorus levels are severely deficient across the surveyed sites, falling between 1.26 and 5.37 milligrams per kilogram. Converting land uses, particularly deforesting land for cultivation or overgrazing, harms soil condition, highlighting the need for proper conservation practices.
Understanding how farming, grazing, and forestry alter soil health helps communities protect farmland from degradation. The pronounced shortage of available phosphorus identified in Kuyu district demonstrates that crop productivity cannot improve without targeted nutrient replenishment. Identifying the specific damage caused by deforestation and overgrazing provides local land managers with clear justification to implement soil and water conservation measures.
This is early-stage observational research that provides baseline soil data for agricultural extension services, soil planners, and fertiliser formulators. The clear evidence of widespread phosphorus deficiency could guide fertiliser suppliers to develop targeted, region-specific soil amendments for local farmers. However, moving from these descriptive findings to practical commercial solutions or soil intervention products will require further applied field testing and agronomic trials.
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Information about effects of land use types on selected soil physical and chemical properties is essential in sustainable utilization of soil resources. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate effects of land use types on selected soil physical and chemical properties on Kuyu district, Ethiopia. Totally, 24 composite soil samples were collected from grass, cultivated, forest and grazing lands by two soil depths ( 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm) with three replications. The two way analysis of variance was used to test the mean differences of the soil physical and chemical properties. The highest mean values of sand and clay were recorded in cultivated and grasslands, respectively. The mean bulk density of the soils ranged from 1.10 and 1.37 g cm -3 and the mean total porosity ranged from 48.2 to 58.7%, which indicated the less soil compaction. The pH ranged from 7.68 to 8.00 while the mean values of OM ranged from 3.15 to 5.02%. However, the mean values of total N ranged from 0.18 to 0.26%. The mean value of available P ranged from 1.26 to 5.37 mg kg -1 , which implies that high deficiency of available P in the study area. The exchangeable basic cations and CEC values were within high to very high ranges in all land use types. Conversion of land use types from one to another has adverse effects on soil properties, especially overgrazing and cultivation of deforested land. Therefore, the proper soil and water conservation practice are important in the study area to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity.
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DOI: 10.18393/ejss.510744
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