Impacts of stone bunds on selected soil properties and crop yield in Gumara-Maksegnit watershed Northern Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted in Gumara-Maksegnit watershed to evaluate the impacts of 5-years old stone bunds on soil pH, Organic matter (OM), available phosphorous (Av. p), cation exchange capacity (CEC), available potassium (K+), soil moisture content (SMC), and crop yield. The experiment has two treatments, three bund positions, and three intra-bund positions with three replications. The experiment has two data sets: (i) 27 data points for treated farmland (three consecutive bunds*three intra-bund positions*three replications) arranged in split-plot design as a main and sub-plots, (ii) a pair of 9 data points of treated and untreated farmland for a paired mean comparison. The result showed that pH was significantly different between the main plots where the highest value (7.07) observed at the lower bund due to sediment accumulation with soluble bases. Meanwhile, OM, Av. p, and SMC were significantly different between sub-plots where the highest mean values observed in the deposition zone. On the other hand, soil properties such as OM, CEC, and SMC were significantly higher in conserved farmland as compared to non-conserved farmland. The grain yield of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum) was significantly different between conserved and non-conserved farmlands. The yield advantages due to stone bund intervention were 8.46% and 28.51% for sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum), respectively. Therefore, proper implementations of stone bunds in the study area have a pronounced positive impact and should be practiced and applied in adjacent watersheds and similar agro-ecologies.

Keywords

• farmland
• crop productivity
• gumara-maksegnit watershed
• soil conservation
• soil erosion