Influence of Some Land Use Types on Soil Acidity in Malga and Enemorna Ener Districts, Southern Ethiopia

Purpose Soil acidity is affected differently by various land use types in Ethiopia. This research was conducted to evaluate some land use types on the surface soil fertility and acidity in the districts of Malga and Enemorna Ener. Methods Land use types such as cultivated fields (RCFs), homestead gardens (HGs), grazing lands (GLs), eucalyptus plantations (EPs) were selected, twenty-four (24) composite soil samples were collected from 0–20 cm depth from each district. Soil analysis was done and statistically analysed. Results Among the four land use types, all had low pH values and high acid levels, except for HG. The soils under HG had significantly higher pH values (p < 0.001), lower levels of acid saturation and better fertility indicators, which included exchangeable bases (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺ and Na²⁺), total nitrogen, organic matter, cation exchange capacity, available phosphorus, and potassium. The results revealed there were strong negative correlations between exchangeable acid cations, acid saturation and pH, whereas strong positive association were evident for some components related to fertility. Conclusion Land use type affects the soil fertility and soil acidity status. Generally, the soil of the home garden land-use type showed the best results of the four land-use types based on their high pH and low acid saturation. The remaining land-use types had low pH and high acidity, low exchangeable bases, total nitrogen, and organic matter. Exchangeable acid cations and acid saturation have negative correlations with the pH of the soil, whereas there were positive correlations between the various components of fertility. The results from this study suggest an urgent need to improve land management practices regarding the different land use types.