Effects of Soil Bund and Stone-Faced Soil Bund on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Crop Yield Under Rain-Fed Conditions of Northwest Ethiopia

Mulat Guadie, Eyayu Molla, Mulatie Mekonnen and Artemi Cerdà
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Mulat Guadie: Mertule Mariam College of Natural Resources Management, Enbse Sarmider, Mertule Mariam P.O. Box 012, Ethiopia
Eyayu Molla: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Department of Natural Resource Management, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 5501, Ethiopia
Mulatie Mekonnen: College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Department of Natural Resource Management and Geospatial Data and Technology Center, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar P.O. Box 1188, Ethiopia
Artemi Cerdà: Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department of Geography, Valencia University, Blasco Ibàñez, 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain

Land, 2020, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Research-based evidence on the effects of soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) on soil physicochemical properties and crop yield is vital either to adopt the practices or design alternative land management strategies. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of about 10-year-old soil bund (SB) and stone-faced soil bund (SFSB) structures on selected soil physicochemical properties, slope gradient, barley grain yield, and yield components in the Lole watershed, in the northwest highlands of Ethiopia. The experiment consisted of three treatments: (i) fields treated with SB, (ii) fields treated with SFSB, and (iii) fields without conservation practices (control) with three replications at three slope classes. A total of 27 composite soil samples from 0 to 20 cm depth and barley grain yield samples from 27 locations were collected. The soil samples were analyzed for bulk density, soil texture, porosity, soil reaction, cation exchange capacity, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorous, and potassium. Barley grain yield was analyzed using different agronomic parameters. The result indicated that SB and SFSB positively influenced the physicochemical properties of soils and barley grain yield. The interslope gradient between the successive SBs and SFSBs was reducing. Moreover, the untreated fields showed significantly lower barley grain yield, plant height, and straw biomass. Hence, SB and SFSB practices were found to be effective in changing slope gradient, improving soil fertility, and increasing crop yield. Therefore, this finding is vital to create awareness and convince farmers to construct SWCPs on their farmlands for sustainable land management.

Keywords: soil bund; stone-faced soil bund; interslope gradient; soil quality; grain yield; sustainable development goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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