Addis Ababa University School of Graduate Studies
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id5736109 pdfMachine by Broadgun Software - a great PDF writer! - a great PDF creator! - http://www.pdfmachine.com http://www.broadgun.com ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES FACULTY OF SCIENCE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES PROGRAM Assessment of Soil Acidity in Different Land Use Types: The Case of Ankesha Woreda, Awi Zone, Northwestern Ethiopia By Tessema Genanew A Thesis Submitted to School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa University in the Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science Addis Ababa November 2008 i ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES FACULTY OF SCIENCE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES PROGRAM Assessment of Soil Acidity in Different Land Use Types: The Case of Ankesha Woreda, Awi Zone, Northwestern Ethiopia By Tessema Genanew A Thesis Presented to School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa University in the Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Science Advisor: Dr. Mekuria Argaw Environmental Sciences Program, Faculty of Science Addis Ababa University Co- Advisor: Dr. Enyew Adgo Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Department Bahir Dar University Addis Ababa November 2008 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to express my sincere thanks to my advisor Dr. Mekuria Argaw for his guidance as well as persistent support in different aspects through out my study. I have benefited a lot from his wealth of experience. I am very grateful to my second advisor Dr. Enyew Adgo his continuous support and constructive comments on the proposal and on the final thesis. I am also greatly indebted to Mr. Alayu Yalew for his industrious support by providing camera, flash, transport service and logical suggestions during the fieldwork. Special thanks go to Mr.Tamiru Misganaw and Mr. Kehali Jembere for assistance they offered during soil sample analysis. I am very grateful to the Horn of Africa Regional Environmental Centre Demand Driven Action Research and Network, and Addis Ababa University, which made this study possible by financing all the expenses required for the study. The kind collaboration from Awi Zone Environmental Protection, Land Use and Land Administration Department and Ankesha Woreda Agriculture and Rural Development office staff members during my fieldwork is also very much appreciated. I am thankful to my families, especially my brothers Abebe Genanew, Michael Genanew and Abraham Bekele, and all my friends for supporting me in all means they could. Last but not least, my special thanks are reserved for my mother, w/o Zabishwork Akalu, for her strong moral support and good wish to my achievement. Above all, I admire God for making everything possible. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................ I TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................................................II LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................... IV LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................... V LIST OF APPENDICES.................................................................................................................. VI LIST OF ACRONYMS ..................................................................................................................VII ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................VIII 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background and Justification................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem......................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Objectives................................................................................................................................. 3 1.3.1 General Objective ............................................................................................................. 3 1.3.2 Specific Objectives ........................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Significance and Scope of the Study........................................................................................ 3 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................................. 5 2.1 Overview of Soil Acidification ................................................................................................ 5 2.2 Status and Distribution of Acid Soils in Ethiopia.................................................................... 7 2.3 Main Causes of Soil Acidity.................................................................................................... 8 2.3.1 Rain fall and Leaching...................................................................................................... 8 2.3.2 Acidic Parent Materials..................................................................................................... 9 2.3.3 Organic Matter Decay /Dissociation/................................................................................ 9 2.3.4 Nutrient Removal by Crop Residue from Farm Land .................................................... 10 2.3.5 Inappropriate Use of Nitrogenous Fertilizers ................................................................. 11 2.4 Impact of Land Use and Management Practice on Soil Acidification................................... 11 2.5 Soil Acidity and Nutrient Availability to Plants.................................................................... 12 2.6 Effect of Soil Acidity on Soil Fauna anda ............................................................................. 15 2.7 Management Options of Soil Acidity Problems .................................................................... 16 2.7.1 Agricultural Lime Application........................................................................................ 17 2.7.2 Selection of Acidity Tolerant Crop Variety.................................................................... 18 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS................................................................................................. 19 3.1 The Study Area ...................................................................................................................... 19 3.1.1 Location and Description................................................................................................ 19 3.1.2 Climate............................................................................................................................ 20 ii 3.1.3 Soil and Geology............................................................................................................. 21 3.1.4. Land Use and Farming Systems .................................................................................... 22 3.2 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 24 3.2.1 Study Design..................................................................................................................... 24 3.2.1.1 Soil Survey............................................................................................................... 25 3.2.1.2 Socioeconomic Survey............................................................................................. 29 3. 3 Data Analysis and Statistical Procedures .............................................................................. 31 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.................................................................................................. 32 4.1 Soil Acidity Status of Different Land Uses............................................................................ 32 4.1.1 Soil pH Level ................................................................................................................. 32 4.1.2 Exchangeable Acidity and Acid Saturation .................................................................... 34 4.1.3 Exchangeable Bases and CEC ........................................................................................ 37 4.1.4 Soil Fertility Parameters ................................................................................................. 39 4.1.4.1 Available Phosphorous and Available Potassium.................................................... 40 4.1.4.2 Organic Matter and Nitrogen................................................................................... 41 4.2 Soil Acidity and Soil Property Relationships in Different Land Uses................................... 42 4.3 Farmers’ Perception of Soil Acidity and Their Management Practices................................. 45 4.3.1 Socioeconomic Characteristics of Households............................................................... 45 4.3.2 Perceived Causes and Indicators of Soil Acidification................................................... 46 4.3.3 Farmers’ Response to Soil Acidity Problems and Their Coping Mechanisms............... 50 4.3.4. Farmers'Perception on Eucalyptus Plantation and Soil Acidity