ABSTRACT
The present research was undertaken to study the fertility status of physicochemical properties and assess the degradation rate and vulnerability potential of soils of Sowa Chiefdom and suggest best management practices. Thirty-two composite samples from 0-20 and 20-40 cm were collected at fifteen locations and studied. The soils exhibited an irregular trend in particle size distribution with high proportion of sand in decreasing trend of sandy loam > sandy clay loam > loamy sand > sandy clay > clay. The soils were slightly acidic to moderately acidic in soil reaction (soil pH) with low to high organic carbon, medium to high nitrogen and low to high phosphorus. The content of exchangeable Ca2+ was medium to high, exchangeable Mg2+ was high, exchangeable Na+ was low to high and exchangeable K+ was low. The level of exchangeable acidity was low although the pH was slight to moderately acidic. The effective CEC values were within themedium to high range and the base saturation was high, thus indicating the potential availability of basic elements in the soils. The organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, exchangeable Ca and Mg and base saturation were neither degraded nor vulnerable to degradation and therefore better soil quality indicators while exchangeable K was extremely degraded and highly vulnerable to degradation and therefore a poor soil quality indicator. The texture, soil pH, exchangeable Na and effective CEC showed moderate rate of degradation and vulnerability and these might be good soil quality indicators in the long term if the recommended soil management strategies are adopted.