Analysis of Selected Physicochemical Parameters of Soils Used for Cultivation of Garlic ( Allium sativum L.)

Assessment of some selected physicochemical parameters in soil samples collected from four agricultural areas of East Gojjam Zone (Debre Markos, Dejen, Bichena and Debre Werk), Ethiopia was studied. The soil characterization was carried out for parameters like moisture content (MC), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC), organic matter (OM), cation exchange capacity (CEC), potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium. Na and K in the soil samples were analyzed using flame photometer, Ca and Mg were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer while conventional analytical methods were employed for the determination of the rest of the physicochemical parameters. The results obtained revealed that the concentrations of physicochemical parameters in the soil samples were in the range of; 7.35-11.01% for MC, 6.53-7.64 for pH, 0.09-0.34 mS/cm for EC, 1.25-3.44% for OC, 2.16-5.93% for OM, 30.75-41.83 cmol/kg for CEC, 845-1014 mg/kg for Na, 1980-6065 mg/kg for K, 952–2118 mg/kg for Ca and1751–4288 mg/kg for Mg. pH was found to vary from neutrality to slightly alkaline. The values of EC indicated that all samples of the soils are non-saline. Statistical test of significance using ANOVA revealed that there were no significant differences (P>0.05) between the values of physicochemical parameters in the soil samples obtained from all the sampling sites. Correlation analysis was also employed to examine the relationship between the various parameters in the soil samples. The soil studied can be considered as good sources of essential nutrients and this information will help farmers to solve the problems related to soil nutrients, amount of which fertilizers to be used to increase the yield of crops.