The effect of arboricide application on soil chemical properties at Neudamm farm, Namibia

Authors

  • Absalom Kahumba University of Namibia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7060-3892
  • Diina N. Shigwedha Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, Directorate of Agricultural Extension and Engineering Services
  • Rosemary N. Shikangalah Department of Geography, Faculty of humanities and social-sciences, University of Namibia

Keywords:

Bush encroachment, chemical, mineral status, soil fertility

Abstract

Abstract

This study assessed the effects of chemical treatments on soil chemical properties at Neudamm farm. A total of 6 composite soil samples were randomly collected from all three 250 m2 belt transects in each of the three chemically treated and control sites at a depth of 15 cm using a soil auger. The soil was analysed for pH, organic matter, organic carbon and soil minerals. A GLM procedure of SAS was used for analyses. The soil pH was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the chemically treated site of 2015 (6.06), followed by the control (5.61) and the chemically treated site of 2017 (5.5). The OC and OM percentages were greater (P < 0.05) in the chemically treated site of 2015 than in all three sites. The chemically treated site of 2016 had the highest soil Ca (551 ppm), K (197.3 ppm), Mg (76 ppm), P (23.3) contents, followed by the site of 2015, than the control site. The study concluded that chemically treated sites had improved soil fertility through controlled bush density. The study recommends that arboricides should be applied as aftercare and for long term monitoring be carried out routinely to acquire systematic trends of the soil chemical properties.

 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2022-09-09

How to Cite

Kahumba, A., Shigwedha, D. N. ., & Shikangalah, R. N. (2022). The effect of arboricide application on soil chemical properties at Neudamm farm, Namibia. Welwitschia International Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 3, 1–10. Retrieved from https://journals.unam.edu.na/index.php/WIJAS/article/view/1429

Issue

Vol. 3 (2022): Welwitschia International Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Absalom Kahumba, Diina N. Shigwedha, Rosemary N. Shikangalah

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The Welwitschia International Journal of Agricultural Sciences (WIJAS) is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license. The license allows users to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, provided that attribution is given to the creator. The license also allows for commercial use. The WIJAS has migrated from a CC BY-NC 4.0 license to a CC BY 4.0 license to allow for further sharing and re-use of knowledge with no restrictions.