Soil is a precious natural resource, forming the basis for sustained ecosystem services for the mankind. Its degradation due to the ever-increasing anthropogenic influence is, however, threatening food security and quality of the environment in many regions. The present investigation was, therefore, undertaken with an objective of assessing the effect of soil and water conservation practices of soil bund and Fanya juu terrace compared to no conservation practice on cultivated soils of Uwite watershed in Hadero Tunto District, southern Ethiopia. Soil sampling sites were selected both from the farm fields, where soil conservation structures were raised for the last 10 years, and from fields where there was no conservation practice. A total of eighteen composite soil samples (3 conservation practices × 2 depths, 0–15 and 15–30 cm, ×3 replicates) were collected and analyzed for different physical and chemical soil parameters. The results were subjected to analysis of variance using the General Linear Model of two-way ANOVA by RCBD with factorial arrangement using SAS software. Both practices, statistically similar to each other, indicated significant improvement in soil parameters compared to no conservation practice in higher content of clay, lower bulk density, higher total porosity, higher moisture content, higher pH, higher soil organic matter, higher percent base saturation, higher cation exchange capacity, and higher amounts of macro- (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S) and micronutrients (Fe, Zn, and Cu). The surface soil layer (0–15 cm) was significantly superior to the subsurface layer (15–30 cm) in most of these soil parameters. Both practices of soil bund and Fanya juu terrace merit their continuation on the existing lands and upscaling to other degraded areas for sustained land productivity and socioeconomic-environmental stability in the region

Maize is one of the staple cereal crops in Ethiopia. However, in southern Ethiopia, the productivity of the crop is very low as compared to the average national productivity, which is mainly attributed to poor soil fertility and the use of low yielding varieties. Hence, a field experiment was conducted at Hadero Zuria kebele, southern Ethiopia under supplemental irrigation to investigate the effects of different rates of blended Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulphur, and Boron (NPSB) fertilizer on the performance of maize varieties. Treatments involving three varieties of maize (30G19, BH-546, and BH-547) and six rates of NPSB fertilizer (0, 50, 75, 100, 125, and 150) kg ha −1 were tested in RCBD using a factorial arrangement with three replications. Data on crop Phenological, growth, yield, and yield components were collected. The results showed that the blended NPSB fertilizer rates and varieties of maize affected days to physiological maturity, leaf area, leaf area index, hundred kernels weight (HKW), dry biomass yield (DBY), and grain yield (GY). The highest mean values for HKW, DBY, and GY were obtained from the 150 kg ha −1 NPSB rate. Similarly, the highest values for DBY and GY were obtained from the BH-546 variety. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were obtained on days to tasseling, days to silking, and harvest index (HI) due to the interaction effect of NPSB rates and varieties. As the NPSB rates increased from 0 to 150 kg ha −1 , HKW and DBY increased consistently from 29.62 to 36.62 g and 31.41 to 43.70 t ha − , 1 respectively. Grain yield showed a highly significant and positive correlation with cob length, leaf number, HI, HKW, and DBY. Also, maximized economic profitability was gained at a rate of 150 kg ha −1 NPSB fertilizer. Thus, from this result, the NPSB rate of 150 kg ha −1 with the hybrid maize variety BH-546 could be better for the study area.