Effect of Conservation Agriculture Practices on Chemical Properties of Soil at Assosa, Western Ethiopia

Abstract

Conservation agriculture is a crop production system that retains an everlasting soil cover through preservation of crop residues on soil surface with zero and reduced till to enhance natural biological processes. It is also a way of organizing agricultural ecosystems for continued and greater sustainable productivity. Not only sustain agricultural productivity; plants, animals and human health are soil quality dependent. However, conventional agricultural practices have reduced soil productivity at such a scary rate, many agricultural soils are leached-out of nutrients and unable to naturally sustain crops. Determining impact of conservation agriculture on soil chemical properties at Assosa district was chosen to study chemical supplement substances of the soil from CA. This study pointed to assess the impact of distinctive conservation agriculture on soil chemical properties such as pH, %OC, %TN, mg/kg soil of phosphorus, meq/100g of soil exchangeable acidity, meq/100g of soil potassium and CEC at the research site. Chemical parameters analysis were done using AOAC methods. All soil tests collected from the treatment confirmed recognizable difference among the treatment and year. Despite that, in all analysis centrality distinction of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen within the soil showed better result in conservation agriculture and uncovered land than the conventional one. The pH, %TN, mg/kg of P, meq/100g soil K, %OC, CEC and exchangeable acidity were assessed three times in two years interval. The chosen location soil was as well disintegrated and unequivocally acidic.