Soil Fertility in relation to Landscape Position and Land Use/Cover Types: A Case Study of the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site
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Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Advances in Agriculture
Abstract
This study determined the change and distribution of land-uses/covers along the landscape, and evaluated the nutrient status of the
top soil layer in the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site (LKPLS) benchmarked micro-catchments. Soil physical and chemical properties
were quantified using triplicate soil samples collected from each land-use/cover at two depths (0–15 and 15–30 cm) in three LK PLS
Learning Innovation Platform (IP) sites (Bufundi in Uganda, Mupfuni-Shanga in D.R. Congo, Gataraga in Rwanda). Small scale
agriculture has increased in all the benchmarked micro-catchments at the expense of other land-uses/covers. In the settlement areas
land-use/cover distribution along the landscape varied across sites and countries; the major one being eucalyptus wood lots, wetland,
and perennials and annuals crops in Bufundi; annuals and perennials crops in Mupfuni-Shanga; and annuals crops in Gataraga.
Perennial crops tended to occur at the footslope and valley bottoms, while the annuals occurred at the upper backslopes and summits.
Available P and K were relatively higher and C/N ratio (7.28) was the lowest in Mupfuni Shanga. Annual crops had the lowest
available P and N across site (𝑃 < 0.05).The key nutrients N, P and K were below the critical values for plant growth for Bufundi.
Description
Keywords
Soil Fertility, Landscape Position, Land Use/Cover Types, Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site
Citation
Mwanjalolo Jackson-Gilbert, M., Makooma Moses, T., Rao, K. P., Musana, B., Bernard, F., Leblanc, B., ... & Adekunle, A. (2015). Soil fertility in relation to landscape position and land use/cover types: a case study of the Lake Kivu pilot learning site. Advances in Agriculture, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/752936