ABSTRACT
Aim: The Okavango Delta at Seronga is fragmented into different land uses ranging from grasslands to woodland (Ximenia and mopane), often punctuated with cropped and fallow fields. The influence of land uses on surface (A1 horizon) soil physico-characteristics, nitrogen, sulphur, carbon, microbial population and biomass were studied to understand soil variability in order to devise conservation strategies for the area. Methodology: Total soil nitrogen (N) was analysed using a Leco N analyser, total carbon and sulphur by CS800 Carbon–Sulphur analyser. NH4 +-N, NO3 - and NO2 - were extracted with KCl and determined using the indophenol blue method and by Griess-Ilosvay colorimetric method respectively. Microbial populations were determined by plate count method. Biomass carbon and flush of nitrogen were determined by fumigation and reinoculation technique. Results: All the soils had a high sand content (> 85%). Total soil N was generally very low, 0.017% in grasslands closest to the channel, 0.013% in cropped fields, 0.007% in fallow and lowest in woodlands (0.002%). Grasslands showed higher NH4 +-N indicating low nitrification potential. Even if mopane woodlands had low total N, they had higher NH4 +-N (0.067 ppm) and low NO2 - compared to other land uses, this could be attributed to their inherent nitrification inhibition ability. No NO3 --N was detected in these soils, probably due to the low nitrification ability and high leaching capacity of sandy soils. Microbial biomass C and population were highest in the grasslands and cultivated soils, while the woodlands had lower levels. Conclusion: Seronga soils have very low N, with the least in the woodlands furthest from floodplains. Grasslands closest to the channel basin had significantly higher total N, C and microbial biomass C but low S as opposed to the woodlands further from the channel. Cultivated areas had increased N and C levels and microbial biomass C compared to the woodland probably due to incorporation of crop residues and animal manure. The paucity of nitrifiers and undetectable NO3 --N indicate a low nitrification potential and a high leaching ability of the soils. Fallowing of fields resulted in a decline in nutrient status.
ABSTRACT
In this study some soil and forest floor characteristics of floodplain forest, thermophile forest and sand dune were investigated at Igneada, Turkey. In this context, surface soil samples were analyzed and compared to each other in the extension of soil physical, chemical properties and as plant nutrition environment. To investigate the soil characteristics soil samples were collected from 48 sampling point. The distribution of the soils revealed that remarkably physical soil properties figure the ordination of soils in principal component analysis (PCA). We concluded that floodplain forests have quite different soil properties from the thermophile forest and sand dunes under the continuous effect of surrounding thermophile forest land with less sandy proportion to soil texture 52.4 at floodplain forest, 64.0% at thermophile forest and 91.0% at sand dunes and highly organic carbon 5.619, 4.191 and 0.478% respectively at 0-5 cm depth and total nitrogen content 0.213, 0.078 and 0.056% for floodplain forest> thermophile forest> sand dune soils, respectively. Weight and organic matter contents of forest floor were significantly higher in the thermophile forests.