Impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage: The case of Ethiopian smallholder farms

Soil organic carbon is a fundamental soil resource base. However, there is limited information on soil organic carbon storage due to influence of tillage type and soil texture under smallholder production systems in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was therefore to quantify soil organic carbon...

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Main Authors: Alemayehu, N., Masafu, M.M., Ebro, A., Tegegne, Azage
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Academic Journals 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73410
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author Alemayehu, N.
Masafu, M.M.
Ebro, A.
Tegegne, Azage
author_browse Alemayehu, N.
Ebro, A.
Masafu, M.M.
Tegegne, Azage
author_facet Alemayehu, N.
Masafu, M.M.
Ebro, A.
Tegegne, Azage
author_sort Alemayehu, N.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Soil organic carbon is a fundamental soil resource base. However, there is limited information on soil organic carbon storage due to influence of tillage type and soil texture under smallholder production systems in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was therefore to quantify soil organic carbon in different soil textures and tillage types; and to the contribution of livestock in improving soil carbon, soil structure and soil fertility. Fifteen sample sites were selected for soil chemical analysis details on crops, soil and land management practices for each sample site was collected through household interviews, key informants discussion and literature review. The carbon storage per hectare for the four soil textures at 0 to 15 cm depth were 68.4, 63.7, 38.1 and 31.3 t/ha for sandy loam, silt loam, loam and clay loam; respectively. Sand and silt loams had nearly twice the organic carbon content than loam and clay loam soil. The soil organic carbon content for tillage type at 0 to 15 cm was 8.6, 10.6, 11.8 and 19.8 g kg-1for deep tillage, minimum tillage, shallow tillage, and zero tillage; respectively. Among tillage types soil organic carbon storage could be increased by using the minimum and shallow tillage. Carbon saved due to shallow cultivation as practiced by Ethiopian smallholders using oxen drawn plough contributed to carbon trade off of about 140 million ton per year. At current levels of carbon saving shallow tillage would generate $4.2 billion of revenue per year for Ethiopian smallholders.
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spelling CGSpace734102024-04-25T06:00:54Z Impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage: The case of Ethiopian smallholder farms Alemayehu, N. Masafu, M.M. Ebro, A. Tegegne, Azage soil farming systems Soil organic carbon is a fundamental soil resource base. However, there is limited information on soil organic carbon storage due to influence of tillage type and soil texture under smallholder production systems in Ethiopia. The objective of this study was therefore to quantify soil organic carbon in different soil textures and tillage types; and to the contribution of livestock in improving soil carbon, soil structure and soil fertility. Fifteen sample sites were selected for soil chemical analysis details on crops, soil and land management practices for each sample site was collected through household interviews, key informants discussion and literature review. The carbon storage per hectare for the four soil textures at 0 to 15 cm depth were 68.4, 63.7, 38.1 and 31.3 t/ha for sandy loam, silt loam, loam and clay loam; respectively. Sand and silt loams had nearly twice the organic carbon content than loam and clay loam soil. The soil organic carbon content for tillage type at 0 to 15 cm was 8.6, 10.6, 11.8 and 19.8 g kg-1for deep tillage, minimum tillage, shallow tillage, and zero tillage; respectively. Among tillage types soil organic carbon storage could be increased by using the minimum and shallow tillage. Carbon saved due to shallow cultivation as practiced by Ethiopian smallholders using oxen drawn plough contributed to carbon trade off of about 140 million ton per year. At current levels of carbon saving shallow tillage would generate $4.2 billion of revenue per year for Ethiopian smallholders. 2016-03-30 2016-05-13T08:18:34Z 2016-05-13T08:18:34Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73410 en Open Access image/jpeg Academic Journals Alemayehu, N., Masafu, M.M., Ebro, A. and Tegegne, A. 2016. Impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage: The case of Ethiopian smallholder farms. African Journal of Agricultural Research 11(13):1126-1133.
spellingShingle soil
farming systems
Alemayehu, N.
Masafu, M.M.
Ebro, A.
Tegegne, Azage
Impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage: The case of Ethiopian smallholder farms
title Impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage: The case of Ethiopian smallholder farms
title_full Impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage: The case of Ethiopian smallholder farms
title_fullStr Impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage: The case of Ethiopian smallholder farms
title_full_unstemmed Impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage: The case of Ethiopian smallholder farms
title_short Impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage: The case of Ethiopian smallholder farms
title_sort impact of tillage type and soil texture to soil organic carbon storage the case of ethiopian smallholder farms
topic soil
farming systems
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73410
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