Effect of Land Use on Soil Health Indicators in Peri-Urban Agriculture in the Humid Forest Zone of Southern Cameroon
The objective of this study was to identify the effect of different land uses in peri-urban agriculture on the soil properties. Soil health indicators were evaluated in the top 10 cm at five tilled agricultural sites involving different cropping systems and use of agrochemicals within the peri-urban...
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Published in | Journal of environmental quality Vol. 35; no. 6; pp. 2402 - 2409 |
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Main Authors | , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Madison
American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society
01.11.2006
Crop Science Society of America American Society of Agronomy |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The objective of this study was to identify the effect of different land uses in peri-urban agriculture on the soil properties. Soil health indicators were evaluated in the top 10 cm at five tilled agricultural sites involving different cropping systems and use of agrochemicals within the peri-urban agricultural areas of Yaounde, Cameroon, and compared with a native forest land. The experimental data showed that the selected indicators were sensitive to cropping practice. Most cropped land had significantly higher total C, available N and P concentrations, soil pH, electrical conductivity, salinity, biomass C and P, dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase, and acid phosphatase activities. Land producing corn (Zea mays L.) and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) differed from that producing tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), but cultivation of these crops has significantly impacted native soil quality. However, phenol oxidase, microbal biomass C/organic C (Cmic/Corg), and microbial biomass C/microbial biomass P (Cmic/Pmic) were negatively affected. These appeared to be more consistent indicators of negative management causing changes to soil health and may be suitable for an early appraisal of soil health. |
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Bibliography: | http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq2005.0447 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1 |
ISSN: | 0047-2425 1537-2537 |
DOI: | 10.2134/jeq2005.0447 |