Soil quality dynamics in response to land-use management types and slope positions in northeastern highlands of Ethiopia

被引：0
作者：
Belay, Andualem [1 ,2 ]
Assen, Mohammed [1 ]
Abegaz, Assefa [1 ]
机构：
[1] Addis Ababa Univ, Dept Geog & Environm Studies, POB 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
[2] Mekdela Amba Univ, Dept Geog & Environm Studies, POB 32, Tuluawuliya, Ethiopia
来源：
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS | 2025年 / 26卷
关键词：
Land use; Land management; Principal component analysis; Minimum dataset; Soil quality index; SMALLHOLDER FARMERS; AGRICULTURAL LAND; INDEXES; CARBON; DEGRADATION; BASIN;
D O I：
10.1016/j.indic.2025.100641
中图分类号：
X [环境科学、安全科学];
学科分类号：
08 ; 0830 ;
摘要：
To address watershed degradation in Ethiopia's northeastern highlands, diverse land-use management (LUM) practices have been implemented. However, their impacts on soil quality (SQ) vary, particularly across topographic slopes, which significantly influence erosion rates, water retention, and nutrient dynamics. Understanding these variations is crucial for designing targeted soil management strategies. This study evaluated SQ under five LUM types-enhanced forest (EF), agroforestry (AF), controlled grazing (CG), croplands with improved bunds (BCL), and traditional management (TCL)-across three slope positions in the Upper Gelana watershed. Seventy-one composite soil samples (0-30 cm) were analyzed for key SQ indicators, and Principal Component Analysis identified SOC, TN, CEC, bulk density, clay fraction, and available phosphorus as a minimum dataset for computing a soil quality index (SQI). Results revealed significant (p < 0.05) impacts of LUM types and slope positions on SQ parameters. SQI rankings were EF > AF > CG > BCL > TCL. EF soils in lower slopes achieved the highest SQI (0.981) due to superior SOC, TN, and CEC, offering benchmarks for sustainable management. AF maintained high SQI (>0.8) consistently across all slopes, demonstrating its potential for restoring degraded landscapes. TCL in upper slopes had the lowest SQI (0.6), indicating severe degradation and an urgent need to implement slope-specific management strategies, such as contour bunds with vegetation reinforcements to mitigate erosion. These findings underscore the need for integrated soil management strategies tailored to each land-use and slope needs. SQI can be used as a valuable diagnostic tool for guiding adaptive management.
引用
收藏
页数：17
相关论文
共 68 条
  • [21] Guo M., Soil health assessment and management: Recent development in science and practices, Soil Sys., 5, 4, (2021)
  • [22] Guo L., Sun Z., Ouyang Z., Han D., Li F., A comparison of soil quality evaluation methods for Fluvisol along the lower Yellow River, Catena, 152, pp. 135-143, (2017)
  • [23] Habtamu M., Elias E., Argaw M., Bulley H.N., Effects of land use and landscape position on soil properties in dire watershed, central highlands of Ethiopia, Eurasian Soil Sci., 56, 7, pp. 951-962, (2023)
  • [24] Haile G., Itanna F., Teklu B., Agegnehu G., Variation in soil properties under different land use types managed by smallholder farmers in central Ethiopia, Sustain. Environ., 8, 1, (2022)
  • [25] Hazelton P., Murphy B., Interpreting Soil Test Results: what Do All the Numbers Mean?, (2016)
  • [26] Hishe S., Lyimo J., Bewket W., Soil and water conservation effects on soil properties in the Middle Silluh Valley, northern Ethiopia, Int. Soil Water Conserv. Res., 5, 3, pp. 231-240, (2017)
  • [27] Jimoh A.I., Hussaini H., Aliyu J., Sadiq F.K., Kefas P.K., Assessment of the impacts of toposequence on soil properties and quality in Tula, Gombe State, Nigeria, Agric. Tropica Subtropica, 55, 1, pp. 99-107, (2022)
  • [28] Kebebew S., Bedadi B., Erkossa T., Yimer F., Wogi L., Effect of different land-use types on soil properties in Cheha District, South-Central Ethiopia, Sustainability, 14, 3, (2022)
  • [29] Laekemariam F., Soil nutrient status of garden coffee farms in southern Ethiopia, Proceedings of Ethiopian Coffee Science Society (ECSS) Inaugural Conference Held on 7-8 April 2017, Jimma, Ethiopia, (2019)
  • [30] Lal R., Restoring soil quality to mitigate soil degradation, Sustainability, 7, 5, pp. 5875-5895, (2015)
1234567