Differential Impact of Land Use Types on Soil Productivity Components in Two Agro-ecological Zones of Southern Ghana
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation
Abstract
The maintenance of soil productivity is important for sustained crop yield in low-input systems in the tropics. This study investigated the impact of four different
land use types, namely, maize and cassava cropping, woodlot/plantations, and
natural forests on soil productivity components, especially soil carbon accretion,
at six sites within two agro-ecological zones of southern Ghana. Soil properties
were significantly different between sites and ecological zones. The coastal
savanna zone, which is a low rainfall zone had relatively lower soil carbon
storage than the high rainfall forest-savanna transition zone. Soil productivity
conditions in the latter zone were much more favorable for cropping than the
former. Land use types significantly affected the soil carbon (SOC) storage within
the two ecological zones. In the low rainfall zone, soil carbon accretion by maize
cropping, cassava cropping, and plantations was 48%, 54%, and 60%, respectively, of the forest carbon stock (47,617 kg/ha). In the transition zone, the soil
carbon accretion was over 90% of the forest value (48,216 kg/ha) for all land use
types. In effect, the use of land use types in maintaining soil productivity must
consider the conditions in a given ecological zone.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Agro-ecology, Land use, Soil carbon stock, Soil productivity, Soil properties