Dynamics of Soil Fertility as Influenced by Different Land Use Systems and Soil Depth in West Showa Zone, Gindeberet District, Ethiopia

Land use change from natural forest to cultivated land, grazing land and subsequent changes in soil physicochemical properties was widespread in Ethiopia. Thus, assessing land use-induced changes in soil properties are essential for addressing the issues of agro-ecosystem transformation and sustainable land productivity. The aim of the study was to determine selected soil physicochemical properties of forest land, cultivated land and grazing land and make investigation among the soil properties. Standard procedures were employed for the analyses of soil parameters. One way ANOVA was employed to compare the soil parameters at particular and overall soil depth. Textural class of all land use types was clay indicating similarity in parent materials distribution of bulk density in all soil depths of cultivated land were higher compared to both forest and grazing land. Soil moisture content was significantly increasing with increasing soil depths. The highest soil pH in all soil depth was observed under forest land compared to both grazing and cultivated land. The highest soil OM contents were observed in the surface soils (0-10 cm) of forest land while least Figures were from subsurface (10-20 cm) layers of the cultivated land. TN, CEC, exchangeable (Ca, Na and Mg) of the forest land soil were improved when compared with both cultivated and grazing land soil.