Abstract:
A study was conducted during the 2000/2001 irrigati
on season to assess the soil
fertility and the pattern of its variation with dep
th in the Lugu main canal of Wurno Irrigation Proje
ct.
Soil samples were collected from four randomly chos
en transects across the field at two sampling
spots in each transect. The samples were taken at 0
- 15, 15 - 30 and 30 - 45 cm depths from each
spot. Soil chemical properties such as pH, total N,
available P, CEC and exchangeable bases were
determined. The soils had average pH of 7.09, 6.92
and 6.87 at the 0-15, 15-30 and 30-45 cm depths,
respectively. The CEC, available P, and total N wer
e very low at all depths. CEC and total N
decreased with depth. Ca and K were also very low w
hile Mg was moderate at all depths. Na on the
other hand, was high at the surface and moderate at
lower depths. The % base saturation was high at
all depths. The soils were low in fertility and nee
d the adoption of proper management in terms of
organic and inorganic fertilizer application and qu
ality irrigation practices to resuscitate and susta
in
the soil fertility.
