Contritution of Indigenous trees to soil properties: The case of scattered trees of CORDIA AFRICANA LAM. in croplands of western Oromia.
2001
Abebe Yadessa;Fisseha Itanna and Olsson,Mats(Researchers)
A field study on scattered Cardia Africana Lam. Trees commonly growing on farmers' maize fields was conducted at Bako in western Oromia, Ethiopia. The objective was to evaluate the contribution of this valuable indigenous tree species to soil properties in croplands. Soil samples taken at different distances (0.5, 2 and 4m) under the tree canopy and at two depths (0-10 and 30-40 cm) were compared with samples taken from the adjacent open areas (15 m distance from the trunk). Results revealed that scattered Cordia trees significantly improved the overall properties of the soil under their canopies compared to that of the adjacent open areas, except for texture and C/N ratio. All soil parameters were significantly higher in the topsoil than in the subsoil except of pH. The horizontal effect of trees with increasing distance from the tree on soil texture is minimal, the effect being more of vertical (across depth). Surface soil layers wee relatively coarser with significantly lower clay content compared to the subsoil. Soil pH under the tree canopy was higher than its nearby open area by 0.25 units, 5.93 in the former and 5.68 in the latter. This apparent soil improvement together with a multitude of additional benefits accrued from Cordia trees makes integration of this indigenous species a promising option for sustainable agriculture. Therefore, their integration into the farming system has to be encouraged. In light of this finding, other priority research areas are suggested.
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Este registro bibliográfico ha sido proporcionado por Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research