State of Soil Science Development for Agriculture in Ethiopia.

The geological formation of Ethiopia is briefly discussed in an attempt to indicate the diversity of 'te so(7s. These include: (a) the pre-Cambrian basement complex; (b) the Mesozoic mantle sediment and; (c) the cover deposits. The relief is equally diverse and intimately related to the underlying geology. The interior highlands rising to altitudes above 2000m is in sharp contrast to the coastal lowlands that sinks to over 100m below sea-level. Consequently, the vegetation and soils of the country are diverse. Out of a total area of 122,190,000ha only 54,751,388ha or 44.8% of the country is surveyed. Of this, 32,436,000 or 26.6% was of a reconnaissance or a semi-reconnaissance nature and were conducted by different agencies using dissimilar scales. Thus, coordination and correlation of various systems of soil classifications have been unsatisfactory and when conducted have been done in the broadest catagories. Soil fertility research conducted by ihe Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) etc. have focused on the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers. Results indicate that the majority of the areas gave high response to nitrogen, about 25% for phosphorous and only in a few instances was a response to potassium obtained. Through repeated investigations optimum fertilizer rates are now established for specific soil crop ecological conditions for the IAR stations and substations. Fertilizer effeciency and the index of fertilizer applications for the different regions are low, however, and the reasons for this are elucidated. The general landscape,unique topography, heavy deforestation, very low levels of soil management and intenstive rainfall have resulted in heavy erosion losses. Some research and implimentation of proven methods are now being practiced. Much needs to be done and the reasons for the appaling situation are summarized. In the irrigated agriculture sector, the abscence of adequate drainage, rise of water table, etc. have posed a menace in that productive land is being abandoned at an alarming rate annually. At Melka Werer Research Station (IAR) some work is being conducted in monitoring the quality of irrigation water, amount and frequency of application.Equally important but of a different nature is the management of hydromorphic soils. The destructive practice of soil burning or heating in the central highlands to make such lands productive is now being replaced with research backed practices such as the use of fertilizers, cambered beds, and deeper ploughing. The dire need to initiate research in the now non-existent areas of soil science such as Physics, Chemistry, Mineralogy,Microbiology and Biochemistry, is duely emphasized.