Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia

Yacob Alemayehu Ademe

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11

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Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia

Yacob Alemayehu Ademe

Published in American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 3, Issue 3)

Received: 28 March 2015 Accepted: 14 April 2015 Published: 24 April 2015

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Abstract

Soil organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (N) are important indices for evaluating land management system, so that assessing the management effects on soil OC and total N dynamics is essential for addressing sustainable land productivity and environmental quality issues. This study was carried out to determine the impact of long-term agricultural practices on the distribution and contents of OC and total N in Cambisols of Abobo, southwestern Ethiopia. Three adjacent fields: Cultivated field with continuous residue burning (CB), Grassland with annual burning (GB) and the Virgin land with native vegetation (VL) were used in this study. The soil in VL was used as a reference to assess extent of changes in soil OC and total N contents. Composite soil samples were collected from four soil depths (0-15, 15-30, 30-45 and 45-60 cm) of each land units, in the triplicate sites. A one-way ANOVA and correlation coefficient analysis were used to test the mean differences of the soil OC and total N contents in each soil depth, and to determine their degree of association with other soil variables. The result revealed that the existing management practices significantly affected soil OC and total N contents in all the studied soil depths. The depletion of soil OC and total N from CB and GB fields were up to 83 and 66%, respectively, as compared to those in the VL. Changes in soil OC and total N were more pronounced in the top 30 cm depth of soil, although significant reduction observed in the 30- to 60 cm depth. The contents of deeper soil layers (45-60 cm) in burned and burned/cultivated sites were comparable, implying that immediate fire/tillage impacts were restricted to the near surface soil depth. The overall results suggest that the existing land management is not sustainable; hence, proper residue management is imperative in order to sustain the soil quality and maintain long-term productivity of the farmland.

Published in	American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 3, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11
Page(s)	65-72
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Prolonged Cultivation, Residue Burning, Organic Carbon, Total Nitrogen, Soil Depth

References

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APA Style

Yacob Alemayehu Ademe. (2015). Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 3(3), 65-72. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11

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ACS Style

Yacob Alemayehu Ademe. Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia. Am. J. Agric. For. 2015, 3(3), 65-72. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11

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AMA Style

Yacob Alemayehu Ademe. Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia. Am J Agric For. 2015;3(3):65-72. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11,
  author = {Yacob Alemayehu Ademe},
  title = {Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {3},
  number = {3},
  pages = {65-72},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20150303.11},
  abstract = {Soil organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (N) are important indices for evaluating land management system, so that assessing the management effects on soil OC and total N dynamics is essential for addressing sustainable land productivity and environmental quality issues. This study was carried out to determine the impact of long-term agricultural practices on the distribution and contents of OC and total N in Cambisols of Abobo, southwestern Ethiopia. Three adjacent fields: Cultivated field with continuous residue burning (CB), Grassland with annual burning (GB) and the Virgin land with native vegetation (VL) were used in this study. The soil in VL was used as a reference to assess extent of changes in soil OC and total N contents. Composite soil samples were collected from four soil depths (0-15, 15-30, 30-45 and 45-60 cm) of each land units, in the triplicate sites. A one-way ANOVA and correlation coefficient analysis were used to test the mean differences of the soil OC and total N contents in each soil depth, and to determine their degree of association with other soil variables. The result revealed that the existing management practices significantly affected soil OC and total N contents in all the studied soil depths. The depletion of soil OC and total N from CB and GB fields were up to 83 and 66%, respectively, as compared to those in the VL. Changes in soil OC and total N were more pronounced in the top 30 cm depth of soil, although significant reduction observed in the 30- to 60 cm depth. The contents of deeper soil layers (45-60 cm) in burned and burned/cultivated sites were comparable, implying that immediate fire/tillage impacts were restricted to the near surface soil depth. The overall results suggest that the existing land management is not sustainable; hence, proper residue management is imperative in order to sustain the soil quality and maintain long-term productivity of the farmland.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia
AU  - Yacob Alemayehu Ademe
Y1  - 2015/04/24
PY  - 2015
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11
T2  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JF  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JO  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
SP  - 65
EP  - 72
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8591
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11
AB  - Soil organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (N) are important indices for evaluating land management system, so that assessing the management effects on soil OC and total N dynamics is essential for addressing sustainable land productivity and environmental quality issues. This study was carried out to determine the impact of long-term agricultural practices on the distribution and contents of OC and total N in Cambisols of Abobo, southwestern Ethiopia. Three adjacent fields: Cultivated field with continuous residue burning (CB), Grassland with annual burning (GB) and the Virgin land with native vegetation (VL) were used in this study. The soil in VL was used as a reference to assess extent of changes in soil OC and total N contents. Composite soil samples were collected from four soil depths (0-15, 15-30, 30-45 and 45-60 cm) of each land units, in the triplicate sites. A one-way ANOVA and correlation coefficient analysis were used to test the mean differences of the soil OC and total N contents in each soil depth, and to determine their degree of association with other soil variables. The result revealed that the existing management practices significantly affected soil OC and total N contents in all the studied soil depths. The depletion of soil OC and total N from CB and GB fields were up to 83 and 66%, respectively, as compared to those in the VL. Changes in soil OC and total N were more pronounced in the top 30 cm depth of soil, although significant reduction observed in the 30- to 60 cm depth. The contents of deeper soil layers (45-60 cm) in burned and burned/cultivated sites were comparable, implying that immediate fire/tillage impacts were restricted to the near surface soil depth. The overall results suggest that the existing land management is not sustainable; hence, proper residue management is imperative in order to sustain the soil quality and maintain long-term productivity of the farmland.
VL  - 3
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Yacob Alemayehu Ademe

Department of Plant Science, College Agriculture and Natural Resource, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia

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Yacob Alemayehu Ademe. (2015). Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 3(3), 65-72. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11

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ACS Style

Yacob Alemayehu Ademe. Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia. Am. J. Agric. For. 2015, 3(3), 65-72. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11

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AMA Style

Yacob Alemayehu Ademe. Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia. Am J Agric For. 2015;3(3):65-72. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11,
  author = {Yacob Alemayehu Ademe},
  title = {Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {3},
  number = {3},
  pages = {65-72},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20150303.11},
  abstract = {Soil organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (N) are important indices for evaluating land management system, so that assessing the management effects on soil OC and total N dynamics is essential for addressing sustainable land productivity and environmental quality issues. This study was carried out to determine the impact of long-term agricultural practices on the distribution and contents of OC and total N in Cambisols of Abobo, southwestern Ethiopia. Three adjacent fields: Cultivated field with continuous residue burning (CB), Grassland with annual burning (GB) and the Virgin land with native vegetation (VL) were used in this study. The soil in VL was used as a reference to assess extent of changes in soil OC and total N contents. Composite soil samples were collected from four soil depths (0-15, 15-30, 30-45 and 45-60 cm) of each land units, in the triplicate sites. A one-way ANOVA and correlation coefficient analysis were used to test the mean differences of the soil OC and total N contents in each soil depth, and to determine their degree of association with other soil variables. The result revealed that the existing management practices significantly affected soil OC and total N contents in all the studied soil depths. The depletion of soil OC and total N from CB and GB fields were up to 83 and 66%, respectively, as compared to those in the VL. Changes in soil OC and total N were more pronounced in the top 30 cm depth of soil, although significant reduction observed in the 30- to 60 cm depth. The contents of deeper soil layers (45-60 cm) in burned and burned/cultivated sites were comparable, implying that immediate fire/tillage impacts were restricted to the near surface soil depth. The overall results suggest that the existing land management is not sustainable; hence, proper residue management is imperative in order to sustain the soil quality and maintain long-term productivity of the farmland.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Long-Term Impacts of Cultivation and Residue Burning Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Contents in Cambisols of Southwestern Ethiopia
AU  - Yacob Alemayehu Ademe
Y1  - 2015/04/24
PY  - 2015
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11
T2  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JF  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JO  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
SP  - 65
EP  - 72
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8591
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150303.11
AB  - Soil organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (N) are important indices for evaluating land management system, so that assessing the management effects on soil OC and total N dynamics is essential for addressing sustainable land productivity and environmental quality issues. This study was carried out to determine the impact of long-term agricultural practices on the distribution and contents of OC and total N in Cambisols of Abobo, southwestern Ethiopia. Three adjacent fields: Cultivated field with continuous residue burning (CB), Grassland with annual burning (GB) and the Virgin land with native vegetation (VL) were used in this study. The soil in VL was used as a reference to assess extent of changes in soil OC and total N contents. Composite soil samples were collected from four soil depths (0-15, 15-30, 30-45 and 45-60 cm) of each land units, in the triplicate sites. A one-way ANOVA and correlation coefficient analysis were used to test the mean differences of the soil OC and total N contents in each soil depth, and to determine their degree of association with other soil variables. The result revealed that the existing management practices significantly affected soil OC and total N contents in all the studied soil depths. The depletion of soil OC and total N from CB and GB fields were up to 83 and 66%, respectively, as compared to those in the VL. Changes in soil OC and total N were more pronounced in the top 30 cm depth of soil, although significant reduction observed in the 30- to 60 cm depth. The contents of deeper soil layers (45-60 cm) in burned and burned/cultivated sites were comparable, implying that immediate fire/tillage impacts were restricted to the near surface soil depth. The overall results suggest that the existing land management is not sustainable; hence, proper residue management is imperative in order to sustain the soil quality and maintain long-term productivity of the farmland.
VL  - 3
IS  - 3
ER  -

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