Rainfall Trends, Soil Organic Carbon and N15 Isotope Status in Selected Wetlands in Lesotho
Abstract
131 words
This research was carried out in Lesotho to characterize the SOC
pool in three different agro-ecological zones of Lesotho. Specific
objectives of this research are: (i) to determine the effect of land
use on SOC pool; (ii) to establish the role of climatic parameters
on soil organic carbon pool; and (iii) to assess the role of primary
and secondary soil particles on the physical protection of soil
organic carbon. The hypothesis tested is that soil organic carbon
pool is significantly influenced by climate and land use, and its
permanence is strongly dependent on the physical protection
provided by stable aggregates and primary particles. Rainfall was
highly variable and therefore unreliable. These wetlands had low
soil organic pool, soil organic matter, silt, clay and total nitrogen,
suggesting that they are highly degraded.
Subjects
1 categoryRelated papers
More in Working Document Series →- Effects of agronomic management practices on soil microbial communities in a maize cropping system
- Effect of chisel plough shank design on some soil physical properties and sorghum growth and yield attributes in Gardud soil types
- Coconut-gliricidia mixed cropping systems improve soil nutrients in dry and wet regions of Sri Lanka
- Influence of Mavuno and farm yard manure fertilization on soil carbon fractions in soils of western Kenya