Soil acidity is one of the major factors limiting soil fertility and crop production in large areas of Ethiopia. A two-month incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of lime, vermicompost (VC), and chemical phosphorus (P) fertilizer on selected chemical properties of Dystric Nitisols in Ebantu District, Western Ethiopia. The treatments comprised of three rates of lime (2, 4, and 6 tons CaCO3·ha−1), VC (2.5, 5, and 7.5 tons·ha−1), and mineral P fertilizer (20, 40, and 60 kg·P·ha−1) each applied alone and in various combinations. The experiment was laid down in a completely randomized design with two replications. The results showed that the highest increment of pH from 4.83 at the control to 6.05 and reduction of exchangeable Al from 1.70 to 0.09 cmolc·kg−1 were obtained from combined application of lime at 4 tons CaCO3·ha−1 and VC at 7.5 tons·ha−1. The most significant decrease in exchangeable acidity (0.17 cmolc.kg-1) was observed in soil that was treated with 6 tons CaCO3·ha−1 lime applied alone (93%) and combined application of lime at 4 tons CaCO3·ha−1 with VC at 7.5 tons·ha−1 by (81%). The highest contents of OM (4.1%) and total nitrogen (0.29%) were obtained from combined application of lime at 4 tons CaCO3·ha−1 and VC at 7.5 tons·ha−1. Integrated application of chemical P (60 kg·P·ha−1) with lime (2 tons·ha−1) plus VC (7.5 tons·ha−1) resulted in Bray-II P increased by 45% relative to control. The various combinations of the treatments also improved exchangeable Ca2+ and Mg2+. The results indicate that integrated use of lime, vermicompost, and chemical P fertilizer can improve soil acidity and availability of nutrients. However, the real potential of the amendments used in this experiment should be further assessed under field conditions using a test crop.

Soil resource information is vital for sound land use planning and sustainable fertility management. This study was carried out with the objective of characterizing and classifying soils of Yikalo Subwatershed at Lay Gayint district, Northwestern Ethiopia. Representative soil pedons were opened along topographic positions and described on genetic horizon basis in the field for their morphological characteristics and analyzed in the laboratory for selected physical and chemical soil properties. The soils were classified following the FAO (2014). The results revealed the presence of variations in the selected morphological properties within a pedon and along the topographic positions. Soils differed in reaction from 4.57 to 6.42. On the surface horizons of the soil pedons, available P content varied from 0.21 to 3.25 mg kg-1 , while exchangeable acidity ranged from 0.17 to 3.65 cmolc kg-1 soil. There was no consistent trend for cation exchange capacity (CEC) and PBS (percent base saturation) with soil depth and topographic positions. The soils in Yikalo Subwatershed were classified as Hyperdystric Cambisols (Humic), Haplic Alisols (Humic), Cambic Umbrisols (Colluvic), Haplic Luvisols (Epidystric), and Pellic Vertisols (Mesotrophic). Optimum rates of organic and inorganic amendments should be applied to reduce the level of soil acidity, and improve the fertility level of the soils for better crop production and productivity.

A study was conducted in Loma Woreda, Dawuro impacts of land use types (forest, grazing and cultivated) on the selected soil physico chemical properties of the study area. Composite surface (0 collected randomly from three sites of each land use which were adjacent to each other and subjected to laboratory analysis. The results of the study revealed that there was relative variation in proportion of sand and clay content among the land use types though they have the same textural class. The bulk density of the soils decreased from grazing to cultivated and then to forest land, while total porosity decreased from forest to cultivated and then to grazing lands. The average soil pH-H2O value of the area varied from very strongly acidic strongly acidic. Exchangeable acidity and Percent Acid Saturation were significantly lower by about 60.02 and 61.54% in the forest soils than the soils of cultivated lands, and 29.70 and 38.32% than that of grazing lands, respectively. As compared to th amount of soil OM, TN and CEC in cultivated land have declined by about 76.53, 38.97%, respectively. The available P, exchangeable bases and PBS have shown decreasing trends in the soils of forest to grazing and then t study, it can be concluded that the soil fertility and quality were well maintained relatively under the forest land, while the impact on most parameters were negative on the soils of the cultivated land. Applications of lime, organic and inorganic fertilizers and crop rotation especially in the cultivated lands may enhance the productivity of the soils, implying the need for undertaking integrated soil fertility management in sustainable way to improve and maintain the favorable soil properties.

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Background: Soil acidity with associated low nutrient availability is one of the major constraints to faba bean (Vicia faba L.) production on Ethiopian highlands. Integrated use of organic and inorganic amendments is believed to reduce soil acidity and improve crop production. Therefore, this field experiment was conducted with the objective of evaluating the effects of lime, mineral P, farmyard manure (FYM), compost and rhizobium in acid soil of Lay Gayint District, northwestern highlands of Ethiopia, in 2016-2017 main cropping season. The experiment comprised twenty sole and combined treatments arranged in a completely randomized block design with three replications. Results: Combined application of 8 t FYM ha −1 + 30 kg P ha −1 + 3.6 t lime ha −1 significantly (P < 0.05) increased plant height, number of leaves and branches per plant, pod length, biological and straw yields. Grain per pod, grain yield and thousand grain weight were significantly (P < 0.05) increased with the application of 4 t FYM ha −1 + 15 kg P ha −1 + 7.2 t lime ha −1. This treatment resulted in 102% grain yield advantage over the control. The next higher grain yield advantage of 89% was achieved with 4 t FYM ha −1 + 15 kg P ha −1 + 3.6 t lime ha −1. Nodule number and nodule dry weight per plant were also improved due to 4 t FYM ha −1 + 15 kg P ha −1 + 7.2 t lime ha −1 application. Among sole treatments applied separately, 8 t FYM ha −1 was observed to be superior in all parameters considered followed by 7.2 t lime ha −1. Conclusion: Combined application of 4 t FYM ha −1 + 15 kg P ha −1 + 3.2 t lime ha −1 could be suggested as effective amendment to improve the yield of faba bean and therefore contribute the effort to insure food security in strongly acid soils of the study area.