CHARACTERIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL SOILS IN CASCAPE INTERVENTION WOREDAS IN EASTERN REGION Final Report By Kibebew Kibret (PhD) April, 2014 Haramaya University 1 List of Acronyms and Abbreviations ADLI Agriculture Development Led Industrialization ATA Agricultural Transformation Agency BD Bereda Kebele BL Bilisuma Kebele BO Bekelcha Oromia Kebele CASCAPE Capacity Building for Scaling up of Evidence Based Best Practices in Agricultural Production in Ethiopia CEC Cation Exchange Capacity CL Chelenko Lola Kebele DAP Di-ammonium Phosphate DB Dursitu Bilisuma Kebele DJ Damota Jalala Kebele EG Egu kebele EthioSIS Ethiopian Soil Information System FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FI Finkile Kebele GG Garbi Gobe GPS Geographic Positioning System GRW Gurawa Woreda ha Hectare HB Hawi Bilisuma Kebele HC Haro Chercher Kebele HE East Hararghe HMY Haramaya Woreda HRO Habro Woreda HW West Hararghe IF Ifa Oromia Kebele IJ Ifa Jiru ISRIC International Soil Reference and Information Centre KJ Kuro Jalala Kebele KK Kakali Kebele KOM Kombolcha Woreda LH Lencha Kebele LT Lafto Ila Tatesa Kebele MoA Ministry of Agriculture (Ethiopia) MTA Meta Woreda NCU National Coordination Unit of CASCAPE ONRS Oromia National Regional State PRA Participatory Research Appraisal RJ Rasa Janata Kebele ii List of Acronyms and Abbreviations (Continued…) RSG Reference Soil Group UJ Ula Janata Kebele WM Were Mahamed Kebele WRB World Reference Base for Soil Resources iii Table of Contents LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ii LIST OF TABLES Vii LIST OF FIGURES X LIST OF PLATES xiii 1. INTRODUCTION 1 General Objective 2 Specific Objectives 3 Scope of the Study 3 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 4 i. The preparation phase 4 ii. The field work phase 5 iii. Data processing and write-up phase 6 3. RESULTS 8 3.1. Description of the Environment 8 3.2. Results of Preparation and Review of Existing Information 15 3.2.1. Preparation 15 3.2.2. Base Map 15 3.3. Results of Field Work and Data Processing 20 3.3.1. Field Work 20 3.3.2. Office Work 21 3.4. Soils of CASCAPE Intervention Kebeles in Haramaya Woreda 23 3.4.1. The Soil-landscape in Haramaya Woreda 23 3.4.1.1. Geology 23 3.4.1.2. The Landscape 24 3.4.1.3. Land Use 26 3.4.1.4. Soil-landscape (Exploratory Survey Results) 28 3.4.1.5. The Soil-landscape (Final) 31 3.4.2. Soil Profile Description and Analytical Data 39 3.4.2.1. Soil Profiles 39 3.4.3. Synthesis 33 3.4.3.1. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Morphological 53 Properties 3.4.3.2. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Particle Size Distribution 57 3.4.3.3. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Chemical Properties 58 3.4.3.4. Agronomic Interpretation of Major Soil Types 63 3.5. Soils of CASCAPE Intervention Kebeles in Kombocha Woreda 66 3.5.1. The Soil-landscape in Kombolcha Woreda 66 iv Table of Contents (Continued…) 3.5.1.1. Geology 66 3.5.1.2. The Landscape 67 3.5.1.3. Land Use 69 3.5.1.4. Soil-landscape (Exploratory Survey Results) 72 3.5.1.5. The Soil-landscape (Final) 75 3.5.2. Soil Profile Descriptions and Analytical Data 81 3.5.2.1. Soil Profiles 81 3.5.3. Synthesis 91 3.5.3.1. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Morphological Properties 91 3.5.3.2. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Particle Size 93 Distribution 3.5.3.3. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Chemical Properties 94 3.5.3.4. Agronomic Interpretation of Major Soil Types 99 3.6. Soils of CASCAPE Intervention Kebeles in Meta Woreda 100 3.6.1. The Soil-Landscape in Meta Woreda 100 3.6.1.1. Geology 100 3.6.1.2. The Landscape 101 3.6.1.3. Land Use 105 3.6.1.4. Soil-Landscape (Exploratory Survey Results) 107 3.6.1.5. The Soil-Landscape (Final) 110 3.6.2. Soil Profile Descriptions and Analytical Data 117 3.6.2.1. Soil Profiles 117 3.6.3. Synthesis 129 3.6.3.1. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Morphological Properties 129 3.6.3.2. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Particle Size Distribution 131 3.6.3.3. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Chemical Properties 132 3.6.3.4. Agronomic Interpretation of Major Soil Types 138 3.7. Soils of CASCAPE Intervention Kebeles in Gurawa Woreda 142 3.7.1. The Soil-Landscape in Gurawa Woreda 142 3.7.1.1. Geology 142 3.7.1.2. The Landscape 144 3.7.1.3. Land Use 147 3.7.1.4. Soil-Landscape (Exploratory Survey Results) 148 3.7.1.5. The Soil-Landscape (Final) 152 3.7.2. Soil Profile Descriptions and Analytical Data 158 3.7.2.1. Soil Profiles 158 3.7.3. Synthesis 169 v Table of Contents (Continued…) 3.7.3.1. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Morphological 169 Properties 3.7.3.2. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Particle Size Distribution 172 3.7.3.3. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Chemical Properties 173 3.7.3.4. Agronomic Interpretation of Major Soil Types 178 3.8. Soils of CASCAPE Intervention Kebeles in Habro Woreda 180 3.8.1. The Soil-Landscape in Habro Woreda 180 3.8.1.1. Geology 180 3.8.1.2. The Landscape 180 3.8.1.3. Land Use 183 3.8.1.4. Soil-Landscape (Exploratory Survey Results) 185 3.8.1.5. The Soil-Landscape (Final) 189 3.8.2. Soil Profile Descriptions and Analytical Data 195 3.8.2.1. Soil Profiles 195 3.8.3. Synthesis 203 3.8.3.1. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Morphological Properties 203 3.8.3.2. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Particle Size Distribution 205 3.8.3.3. Agronomic Interpretation of Soil Chemical Properties 206 3.8.3.4. Agronomic Interpretation of Major Soil Types 210 3.9. Agronomic Interpretation of Major Agricultural Soils in the Five Woredas 214 3.9.1. Regosols 214 3.9.2. Cambisols 215 3.9.3. Nitisols 219 3.9.4. Luvisols 220 3.9.5. Vertisols 224 3.9.6. Fluvisols 225 3.9.7. Calcisols 229 4. DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 232 4.1. Discussion 232 4.2. Conclusion 233 4.3. Recommendations 234 REFERENCES 236 ANNEXES 242 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Base mapping units of Haramaya Woreda 15 2 Base mapping units of Kombolcha Woreda 16 3 Base mapping units of Meta Woreda 17 4 Base mapping units of Gurawa Woreda 18 5 Base mapping units of Habro Woreda 19 6 Major soil mapping units and their areal coverage in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles 28 7 Major soil mapping units and their area coverage in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Haramaya Woreda 34 8 Correlation between local soil classification and the WRB system names 39 9 Soil site and profile descriptions of pedons opened in four CASCAPE intervention kebeles of Haramaya Woreda 40 10 Selected soil physical and chemical properties of pedons opened on major agricultural land in CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Haramaya Woreda 50 11 Major soil mapping units and their area coverage in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Haramaya Woreda 72 12 Major soil mapping units and their area coverage in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Kombolcha Woreda 77 13 Correlation between local and WRB soil names in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Gurawa Woreda 80 14 Soil site and profile descriptions of pedons opened in four CASCAPE intervention kebeles of Kombolcha Woreda 82 15 Selected soil physical and chemical properties of representative pedons opened on major agricultural soils in CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Kombolcha Woreda 89 16 Major soil mapping units identified through exploratory soil survey and their area coverage in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles 107 17 Major soil mapping units and their area coverage in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Kombolcha Woreda 113 18 Correlations among local and WRB soil names in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Meta Woreda 116 19 Soil site and profile descriptions of pedons opened in four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Meta Woreda 118 20 Selected soil physical and chemical properties of representative pedons opened on major agricultural soils in CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Meta Woreda 126 vii LIST OF TABLES (Continued…) 21 Major soil mapping units (exploratory) identified and their area coverage in the four kebeles 149 22 The different mapping units and their area coverage in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Gurawa Woreda 154 23 Correlation between local and WRB soil names in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in GurawaWoreda 157 24 Soil site and profile descriptions of pedons opened in four CASCAPE intervention kebeles of Gurawa Woreda 159 25 Selected soil physical and chemical properties of representative pedons opened on major agricultural soils in ASCAPE intervention kebeles in Gurawa Woreda 167 26 The major soil mapping units identified through exploratory survey and their area coverage in each kebele 186 27 The soil mapping units and their area coverage in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Habro Woreda 191 28 Correlation between local and WRB soil names in the four CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Habro Woreda 194 29 Soil site and profile descriptions of pedons opened in four CASCAPE intervention kebeles of Habro Woreda 196 30 Selected soil physical and chemical properties of representative pedons opened on major agricultural soils in CASCAPE intervention kebeles in Habro Woreda 201 31 Ranges of selected major physical and chemical properties of Regosols in CASCAPE intervention Woredas 216 32 Ranges of selected soil physical and chemical properties of Cambisols in the five CASCAPE intervention woredas 218 33 Ranges of selected soil properties recorded in Nitisols of the five CASCAPE intervention Woredas 221 34 Ranges of selected soil properties recorded in Luvisols of the five CASCAPE intervention Woredas 223 35 Selected major physical and chemical properties of Vertisols in CASCAPE intervention Woredas 226 36 Ranges of selected properties of Fluvisols in CASCAPE intervention woredas