Effects of Land Use Types on Selected Soil Physicochemical Properties: The Case of Boda Bosoka Kebele, West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of land use type on selected soil physicochemical properties of Boda Bosoka Districts, West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. A total of 27composite soil samples were taken for soi lphysicochemical properties determination and 9 un disturbed soil samples were taken for bulk density determination at 0-30 cm depth for laboratory analysis. The one-way ANOVA was used to test the mean differences of the soil physicochemical properties by SAS software. Silt and sandy were no significant but Moisture% Bulk Density Clay %, Soil pH, EC, %OC, %OM, Om%, P mg/kg Total Nitrogen, Ca, Na, K, were affected significa ntly among land uses whilst, Mg and Ca, were not significantly affected by land use types. The dominant textural classes of study were Sandy clay, clay and loam soil .This shows that the high removal of clay particles from three lands used type. High bulk density in cultivated land and Grazing land might be resulted from livestock compaction in Grazing land and removal of soil nutrients from cultivated land. pH,6.54±0.07 and 6.08±0.03,and 5.82±0.02, EC(dS/m),0.32,0.1,and 0.21 were as %TN, 0.32±0.02, 0.21±0.01, 0.15±0.01 and %OC 5.29±0.08, 3.73±0.08 and 3.22±0.08 %OM, 9.11±0.14, 6.43±0.14 and 6.76±0.09, 4.35±0.09, 6.94±0.09 1and P mg/kg, averagely recorded across slope in forest, grazing and cultivated land respectively. The values of CEC were also ranged from high to very high rate in all land use types, which showed the high soil capability of nutrient reservoir CEC(meq/100 g, 26.07±0.41, 13.66±0.52, and 16.39±1.90. Exchangeable Ca, 10.69±0.60, 5.89±0.60 and 7.95±2.16 Mg, 2.76±0.60, 1.39±0.60 and 2.04±0.00 and Na 0.14±0.00, 0.11±0.01 and 0.12±0.03 and K, 1.27±0.01, 0.82±0.01 and 1.07±0.01 averagely recorded across slope in forest, grazing and cultivated land respectively. The mean values of most of soil properties were low in used type lands compared to other study report and as per study result revealed that, cultivated and grazing land were major land used type affects soil properties. Therefore, the study is suggesting the need for intervention to sustain and optimize the soil quality in the study area.