Abstract:
Soil quality is an important component of agricultural systems, including those in Oyam District,
northern Uganda. Yet, little is known about the soil properties in this region and how they may
respond to different crop management practices. This study examined the physical and chemical
properties of soils collected agricultural fields in Oyam District, northern Uganda that were
subjected to fallow or cropping. Soils under fallow exhibited greater ammonium-N
concentrations and clay content compared to cropped soil. Although not statistically significant,
fallow soils tended to have greater exchangeable calcium, cation exchange capacity and % base
saturation. The upper 15 cm of the soils exhibited higher total C, total N, exchangeable cations,
cation exchange capacity and % base saturation than underlying soil. The fallow period used in
this study was very short; we recommend a longer fallow period to discern whether this practice
shows longer-term benefits as compared to continuously cropped soil. |
