TITLE:
Characteristics, Fertility Status and Fertility Capability Classification of Steep Slope Soils of the Dschang Cliff (Cameroon Western Highlands)
AUTHORS:
Evariste Desire Moundjeu, Emile Temgoua, Primus Azinwi Tamfuh, Joseph Guepi Vounang, Jean-Paul Youssie Kabiwa, Armand Sylvain Ludovic Wouatong, Dieudonné Bitom
KEYWORDS:
Steep Slope Soils, Fertility Capability Classification, Nutrient Balance, Cameroon Western Highlands
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.9 No.7,
July
28,
2021
ABSTRACT: Mountainous ecosystem soils are subject to colonization nowadays for agricultural purposes due to an increasing population
in towns making the detailed characterization
of such soils indispensable. This work aims to characterize the steep
slopes soils of the Dschang hills and to evaluate their fertility level for agricultural valorization. Thus, four soil
profiles were dug at various topographic positions (summit (SP),
shoulder (MP), backslope (BP) and footslope (PP)) following a toposequence.
Samples of disturbed and undisturbed soils were taken and analyzed in the
laboratory according to standard methods. The Fertility Capability Classification
(FCC) and simple limitation methods were used to identify major agricultural
constraints. The main results show that profiles
thickness is moderate, between 0 and 120 cm, with a high sand content (at least 50%) over the entire toposequence,
especially at the surface. The study site has four types of soils,
namely Eutric Cambisols (ochric) in SP and Leptic Eutric Cambisols (Humic) in MP, Eutric Cambisols (Humic) in BP and Stagnic Oxygleyic Dystric Gleysols (Humic) in pp. The soils are very acidic at PP, moderately acidic at BP
and SP and slightly acidic at MP. Organic matter is higher at the surface than
at depth at the topographic segments of MP, BP and PP and low to SP. The C/N
ratio is high (>17) in all profiles except P4 ( exchangeable bases, total nitrogen and available phosphorus is low in all
profiles. The Ca/ Mg/K balance in all the profiles shows a cation imbalance and a
relatively high concentration of
exchangeable potassium compared to the ideal situation (76% Ca, 18% Mg
and 6% K). The major constraints to crop production are: aluminum toxicity (a)
and nutrients leaching (e), textural discontinuity (LS), flooding (g), low
nutrient reserve (k), sand (S), clay (C) and slope (t). Hence the fertility
capacity classes of these soils are CCaegk (PP), SSek (BP), SSte (MP) and LSaek
(SP). To improve the yield, it will require off-season crop cultivation, fertilization
and liming, and earthworks.